Statewide voter registration mailing bypassed Department of State

Women’s Voices, Women Vote mailing confuses voters

Denver, November 15, 2007 – A recent mailing by Women’s Voices, Women Vote (WVWV) has drawn fire and caused confusion among some Colorado electors. The group mailed voter registration applications throughout the state along with a pre-addressed envelope made out to the Secretary of State’s office.

While Secretary of State Mike Coffman fully supports increasing voter registration, concern stemmed from a potentially misleading statement contained on the applications which reads “Notice: The deadline for voter registration is approaching. To comply with legal requirements, please return the enclosed application.” Although the statement may be technically correct, Secretary Coffman is concerned that electors may feel that legally, they must return the application, particularly since voters may incorrectly believe the mailing originated from the Secretary of State’s office.

“We first found out about the mailing when my office received thousands of voter registration forms the past three days,” said Secretary of State Mike Coffman. “Many of these forms had written comments questioning why they needed to register again or telling us the person has been deceased for years.”

Typically, out-of-state groups and mail houses work with the Secretary of State’s office to identify unique voter registration laws and purchase current voter contact information. For instance, WVWV would have learned that registering voters is performed by the county clerk and recorders, not the Secretary of State’s office.

Currently, departmental staff is organizing the completed registration forms to be sent back to the appropriate county clerk and recorders.

“As we get closer to the 2008 elections, these types of mailings will most certainly increase,” said Coffman. “It’s important for voters to know how to confirm their registration status.”

To verify voter registration status, residents can visit the Secretary of State’s web site and enter their first and last names, zip code and date of birth or can contact their local county clerk and recorder.

A call to WVWV Executive Director Joe Goode was not returned.