Posted on 10/20/2014 11:29:06 AM PDT by Citizen Zed
DECATUR – It's not uncommon for residents such as Maryilynn Baer to receive political mail before the general election. But when recent letter came to her home that asked for her husband, Edgar, to re-register to vote before the November election, Baer was overwhelmed and upset. Her husband had been dead since May.
“It was upsetting,” she said. “His name had already been taken off the voter registration list, and I sent the letter to (Macon County Clerk) Steve Bean and told him I had already notified him that Edgar had passed away.”
But the letter did not come from Bean. In fact, residents across the state have received similar letters that are seemingly sent from their local officials asking them to re- register to vote, with return postage listing the local county clerk's name and address. The letters are actually being sent by the Americans for Prosperity Foundation, one of the largest conservative groups in the country.
Bean said he and clerks from across the state have received numerous complaints from residents, saying their deceased loved ones have received the letters.
“The letters are made to look as though we're sending them out, and I've received calls and letters asking me why I'm bringing back these painful times,” Bean said.
David From, director of the Illinois branch of the group, said the group gets its information from 'available data' on names and addresses of possible registered voters. He said the organization looks at the mailers as a "long-term" way to get people involved in the political discussion and remind them of the upcoming elections.
While they do the best they can to send forms to people they believe are alive and eligible to vote, From said it is not a perfect system and sometimes errors are made.
"We don't want people to have to see the names of lost loved ones," he said. "Not only is that an issue for obvious reasons, but it's also inefficient to send these forms to those who cannot vote or participate in the political discussion."
The group has 34 state chapters and affiliates and recently made news after mailing North Carolina residents forms with incorrect and conflicting information on registration and the election. In addition, forms went out addressed to deceased residents and, in one case, a cat. While there did not appear to be anything misleading on the forms sent to Illinois residents, Shelby County Clerk Jessica Fox said she has apologized to residents and has tried to make clear it is not her office that has sent the forms.
“We would never do anything, for lack of a better term, as tacky as to open up these old wounds,” Fox said.
One question the clerks were unable to answer is how the group received the list of registered voters or decided to whom they would send the letters.
Baer said she hopes they use better judgment in the future.
“If they got these names, they should know his name was taken off voter registration list for a reason.”
Looks like the Republicans are using the Democrat playbook this year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUEqh07E4dY&list=UUBsJKELAwIQNCJT6_0FfQmA
Ray Stevens -”Grandpa Voted Democrat”
MIL has been gone for 24 years, and we still get mail for her.
My mother who died at 103 years three years ago just recently got a summons to serve for the Los Angles Federal Grand Jury. We went through all the motions to let everyone know she had died including Social Security but that did not stop them.
Hey, I think that they have every right try to pull this important voting bloc away from the Democrats.
Man, that democrat-progressive group of zombie Obamabots in the White House basement must be on double overtime!
< /sarc >
And I still get mail for my daughter who died in an auto accident 12 years ago. Although I still live in Texas, I moved from the address where she had lived with me about six years ago. I always do return to sender with the word deceased written in large letters but nobody seems to pay attention. Just ridiculous.
Maybe she just forgot to cancel her NASCAR license?
It means Holder has been succesful in making it illegal to purge the voter rolls.
Since May? Big deal, ya whining rat.
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