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Why You Shouldn't Get Voter Information from Spam Emails

A widely circulated email has Texas voters worried their voter registration may have lapsed.
Photo courtesy flickr.com/sarowen
A widely circulated email has Texas voters worried their voter registration may have lapsed.

The ongoing confusion over Texas primaries is helping spread misinformation over who’s registered to vote, and who isn’t.

The Austin-American Statesmannotes county election administrators have been deluged with calls from citizens asking whether they’re still registered to vote. And the culprit appears to be an incorrect, indiscriminately forwarded email.

The Statesman says:

The emails claim that voter registration certificates expired at the end of last year and that residents hoping to have a say in the election need to get registered quickly. “Probably just incompetence, to allow this change without public notification,” one email says. “Until this year voter registration cards were automatically mailed to arrive before expiration, but that did NOT happen this year. That means you will have to go in and apply for a new one.”

Of course, there’s no such requirement. The website of the Travis County Tax Assessor/Collector, which handles voter registration in Austin, notes this. Referring to the primary election delay, the site states “The mailing of voter registration certificates has been delayed due to redistricting litigation. You will automatically be mailed a new certificate once the new maps are determined.” 

If you do need to update your voter information however, you can do so online

Wells has been a part of KUT News since 2012, when he was hired as the station's first online reporter. He's currently the social media host and producer for Texas Standard, KUT's flagship news program. In between those gigs, he served as online editor for KUT, covering news in Austin, Central Texas and beyond.
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