JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Elections officials are warning Florida voters about a case of voter intimidation the likes of which they've never seen.
Fraudulent letters, purportedly from county elections supervisors, have been mailed to local voters in recent days. The letters contain a letterhead with a flag and eagle in the top left corner. They instruct the recipients to prove their U.S citizenship.
"It's a bogus letter," said Jerry Holland, Duval County's Supervisor of Elections. Officials now want voters to be aware of these fraudulent letters postmarked in Seattle, Wash.
The letter, delivered to voters in Duval, St. Johns and Brevard counties in recent days, advises recipients to “[P]lease stop by our main office with any original documentation that demonstrates U.S. citizenship.”
Elections officials tell Action News the letters appear to be targeting registered Republican Florida voters. "It's not identifying a person by ethnic background," said Holland, "It's really identifying what appears to be Republicans and what are referred to as 'super-Republicans' in that they vote every election."
One of those Republicans who received the bogus letter in the mail is Bill Bishop, Jacksonville's City Council President. "In this election process this year, anything's possible," said Bishop.
The fraudulent letter warns recipients, “Failure to submit this form within fifteen (15) days will result in the removal of your name from the voter registration rolls and you will no longer be eligible to vote.”
Elections officials want voters who receive these letters to disregard their message and report them to their county elections supervisor.
Holland told Action News, "It's trying to confuse voters, possibly intimidate voters from voting. It's something we have grave concern over."
The U.S. Justice Department and FBI are coordinating an investigation with Florida's Division of Elections.
