WEC warns voters about misleading messages » Urban Milwaukee

MADISON – Wisconsin Elections Commission on Friday reminds voters to be cautious when receiving or responding to communications purporting to be official information about the upcoming Nov. 5 general election.

WEC recently heard from concerned voters and local election officials regarding unsolicited messages that may contain inaccurate or misleading information. Voters should be wary of any voting-related communications, including text messages, emails, mailers, phone calls, robocalls and more, from unfamiliar sources. Sometimes these misleading messages even appear to imitate messages from an official government source. They often use outdated, incomplete or simply inaccurate data to convey to voters.

“We cannot stress enough that voters should be very careful when dealing with this type of unsolicited information, as the information provided is often inaccurate and misleading,” said the Wisconsin Elections Commission administrator. Meagan Wolfthe state’s chief election official.

When it comes to voting information, Wisconsinites should be sure to rely on accurate official sources. This includes the official WEC website MyVote.wi.gov. There, voters can check if and where they are registered to vote. They can also view their voter history (a voter’s past participation in elections), find their polling place, see what’s on their sample ballot, request an absentee ballot, track that ballot, or learn about in-person absentee voting options.

Voters can also contact their municipal clerk, who can confirm voter registration status and answer any questions a voter may have ahead of the Nov. 5 general election. Voters can find their clerk’s contact information on the MyVote website.

One recent case involved text messages from the organization AllVote, which contacted voters with information about their voting or registration status that may not have been accurate. The text messages reviewed by WEC also contained a link to a site that at first glance appeared to be a municipal voter website, but turned out to be incorrect. Wolf said these third-party groups often try to present themselves as the official source of election information.

“Nothing could be further from the truth,” Wolfe said. “The WEC MyVote Wisconsin website is the official source of voter information. Voters can visit MyVote – at MyVote.wi.gov – to find almost everything they need to know about the upcoming election. The MyVote website and the local clerk’s office will always be the best option for voters who have any questions,” Wolf said.

NOTE. This press release was sent to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. Although this information is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not warrant its accuracy or completeness.

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