Switched has a new home! Huffpost Tech.

Click here to visit the new home of Switched!

Hot on HuffPost Tech:

See More Stories
AOL Tech

Phishing Tactics Used to Suppress Vote In North Carolina

by Terrence O'Brien on May 6, 2008 at 07:03 AM

Phishing Tactics Used to Suppress Vote in North Carolina
The race for the Democratic nomination for the president just gets uglier everyday. And in case you needed more proof that Obama and Hillary will never end up on the same ticket, here is a story about voter suppression that seems to be taking cues from phishing and identity theft scams.

A group called Women's Voices, Women's Vote has been cold calling voters in primarily African-American areas of North Carolina and implying that they had not properly registered to vote. The automated message from someone identifying themselves as Lamont Williams says, "In the next few days, you will receive a voter-registration packet in the mail. All you need to do is sign it, date it and return your application. Then you will be able to vote and make your voice heard. Please return the voter-registration form when it arrives. Thank you."

At no point does the call identify the group who is calling, address a specific recipient, or even mention that the person receiving the call may already be registered to vote properly.

Women's Voices, Women's Vote has acknowledged making the calls, but has denied the accusations of voter suppression. While the group has not officially endorsed a candidate, the donating habits of the president of the organization, Page Gardner, betray her loyalties. Gardner donated $2,500 to Clinton's HILLPAC in 2006, and in 2005 she donated $4,200 to the Clinton campaign . She has not donated any money to the Obama camp. Gardner is not alone, many at the organization have connections to the Clintons whether through donations, or as members of Bill's administration.

Following North Carolina State Attorney General Roy Cooper's recent demand to halt the calls -- illegal under state law because political calls must identify a sponsor -- Women's Voices, Women's Vote has stopped the practice. [Source: Wired]

Tags: elections, politics

Add your comments

Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments.

When you enter your name and email address, you'll be sent a link to confirm your comment, and a password. To leave another comment, just use that password.

To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 3 URLs in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br /> tags.

HuffPost AOL Social News Most Popular