Bogus letters question Florida voters' citizenship

Please be careful on this.... Dave

The state has launched a criminal investigation of bogus letters sent to at least dozens of Florida voters suggesting they won't be allowed to vote unless they prove they are U.S. citizens.

The letters, received by voters in at least 23 counties so far, falsely claim to be from county elections supervisors and demand proof of citizenship within 15 days.

"This is voter intimidation 14 days out from a presidential election," said Brevard CountySupervisor of Elections Lori Scott. "The fear is they won't contact their supervisors. It looks official, and they're going to think, 'Well, I can't vote.'"

Most of those who have contacted elections officials after receiving the letter are Republicans, were born in the United States and are regular voters. At least some — including all of the reported recipients in Orange, Seminole and Brevard counties — have contributed to the Republican Party or Republican candidates.

"Since I'm a senior citizen and I've voted since I was 21, I was a little surprised," said Orlando resident Diane Parker, a GOP donor and volunteer who found the letter in her mailbox on Friday.

Parker thought the letter was legitimate, but a bureaucratic mistake. The letterhead said "Supervisor of Elections," and the envelope said "County Supervisor, Division of Elections." But it was postmarked from Seattle.

The letter says the Florida Division of Elections has provided information about the recipients' citizenship status, and that "registering to vote under fraudulent conditions or swearing a false oath are both third-degree felonies in Florida."

The mailing asks recipients to bring original documents proving citizenship to their elections office, and also included a "Voter Eligibility Form" asking for personal information.

In Central Florida, four Brevard voters reported receiving the letter, along with three in Orange, and one each in Seminole and Osceola counties.

The fake letters follow the state's own effort to purge voter rolls of noncitizens last spring. The state released a list of 2,600 registered voters identified as noncitizens and told elections supervisors to write them demanding proof of citizenship. The list was riddled with errors and a court battle ensued; the final tally included 198 names.

In an email to supervisors on Monday, Secretary of State Ken Detzner asked that all reports of the bogus letters be forwarded to the state for investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

"The Department of State takes this possible act of voter intimidation and fraudulent activity very seriously and is pursuing all avenues to ensure the practice is immediately stopped, as we do with all attempts at voter intimidation or fraud," Detzner wrote.