The California Association of Clerks and Election Officials (CACEO) is responding to concerns from voters across the state who may be receiving solicitation mailings erroneously indicating that residents of households are not registered to vote.
 
The letters are from the Voter Participation Center, a nonprofit organization whose published mission is to “register and mobilize the rising American electorate.”

Some of the mailings are addressed to current registered voters at the address and others are addressed to nonexistent residents or to variations of names associated with the residence.
 
“Whether by accident or otherwise, it is clear that the organization that sent out these mailings used bad data at least in part and failed to compare that data with the existing voter file,” said Dean Logan, CACEO president. “As a result, the mailing has caused unnecessary concern and confusion for voters.”
 
The Voter Participation Center indicated to the secretary of state that more than 4.6 million of the letters were mailed statewide.

While some of the letters may have been sent to eligible, but not-registered citizens, the surge in calls to Registrars has indicated clear discrepancies in the data causing confusion and concern for Californians just months before the presidential election.
 
County registrars urge voters to verify their registration status prior to election day with their
local registrar of voters office or Web site.

A listing of county resources for verification is available on the California Secretary of State’s Web site at http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/registration-status/ .
 
Registrars begin mailing sample ballots for the election early next month. Any voter receiving a
sample ballot can be assured that they are listed as active on the voter file.

Only voters who have a change in address or name need re-register prior to the Oct. 24, 2016, voter
registration deadline.