Home: Identity Theft : ID Theft and Elections: Keeping Your Vote Safe

ID Theft and Elections: Keeping Your Vote Safe

Posted by Melanie Henson on Tuesday, October 14th, 2008

It’s all over the news: 2008 may leave U.S. citizens more open to identity theft than previous voting years. Why? According to identity theft prevention experts, this year’s emotionally charged primary election may expose voters open to sneakier and more sophisticated means of illegally grabbing (or even destroying) their vote.

Additionally, the grassroots efforts of the major political parties mean that we expect to be approached–and that we assume the approachers are legitimate members of a given party.

In order to minimize the possibility of your vote being stolen, keep the following in mind:

Beware of E-Mail Voting Scams

The internet ensures that we can contact virtually anyone, anywhere at the touch of a button. Unfortunately, it also means scammers can reach a larger audience than ever. Watch out for an e-mail from “your” party asking for donations or offering to hook you up with critical voting information; there‘s always the chance that the e-mail is illegitimate.

Never open attachments to unsolicited e-mails of this type, and never give out any personal information via return e-mail. If you do want to make a donation or ask a question, call or look him or her up at the official party website (see below, “Know Where to Contact Your Party or Other Parties“.

Defrauders at Your Door

Believe it or not, some misguided but gutsy defrauders go door-do-door with a clip badge, notebook and pen to “confirm” that you’re registered…and then hand you phony information. You may be advised that your voter registration locale has changed or that you must sign a certain list in order to confirm your registration. Never sign any paperwork of this nature; contact the party’s office directly for more information (do not accept a phone number or website from the solicitor as being official).

Another way an ID thief may try to steal your vote is by stating that he or she is a representative of your party and is currently taking mail-in votes. He or she may then ask you to fill out paperwork for your vote and to hand it to him or her. If this happens, close the door and immediately report the solicitation (your local Voter Fraud Hotline is listed in the back of your Official Sample Ballot, or you can call your local police to find out how to make your report).

Make Sure You’re Registered

If you have moved since the last general or midterm election, your vote may have been purged from the system and you may no longer be registered. Even if you are in the same residence as you were at the time of the last election, voter purging is rumored by some elections experts to be a still inexact science. It may also be possible for election defrauders to hack into various systems in order to deliberately purge your vote.

Make sure you’re currently registered by your state’s registration deadline by calling your local Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s office. You can also find your local office by searching at canivote.org; go to the dropdown box below the map of the U.S. for information.

Know Where to Contact Your Party or Other Parties

The truth is that as many times as they’re caught on to, caught out and even jailed, voting thieves will continue to find new ways to attempt to steal your vote. Your best bet is to never give out any of your personal information over the phone, via e-mail or in person. Instead, go directly to the source with your questions or to make donations.

The following is a list of the official websites and contribution/donation pages for the 2008 presidential/vice presidential parties. The list is current as of this writing. (Please note that the following are listed in the order they appear in the nationally mailed booklet entitled Official Sample Ballot and Voter Instructions: General Election 2008. They do not necessarily reflect the preferences of the writer, the website or anyone associated with the website.) Your vote should always count…keep it that way!