The Sarasota County elections office is warning people about some fraudulent letters that have many county residents questioning if they'll be able to vote this year. Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Kathy Dent says these letters have a letterhead similar to her's, and appear to be official.
"We are not sending out letters of eligibility to anyone", said Dent. "And if they get something based on citizenship eligibility they need to contact us right away, because we have not sent anything and do not plan to send anything out prior to the election."
What is troubling is the fact that these letters question the recipient's citizenship status. The letters, which are postmarked from Seattle, state that addressees have 15 days to respond or risk being dropped from voter rolls.
Dent thinks the letters are meant to intimidate people in hopes that they won't vote come election day. She and Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner urge people to call the Voter Fraud Hotline should they receive any suspicious letters questioning their voter eligibility. The number is 1-877-868-3737.