Office of elections: ‘If you do not want to vote by mail, ignore the application you have received’

A multitude of Virginians mail in their ballots each election cycle, this year, however, thousands have received unsolicited and incorrectly labeled absentee ballot applications.

Earlier this week, the Prince William County Office of Elections released a statement stating that the office has been receiving ‘numerous phone calls and complaints’ regarding absentee ballot applications sent from The Center for Voter Information, a third-party organization unaffiliated with the state, or Prince William County Office of Elections.

The county has, however, not been affected by the issue of incorrect return addresses.

“It appears that the return address issues that have cropped up have not affected Prince William County. If you have received one of these letters with a Virginia Vote by Mail Application Form, you can use it to apply to have a ballot mailed to you (we will begin mailing ballots in mid-September). If you do not want to vote by mail, ignore the application you have received,” said Matthew Wilson, the Senior Deputy Registrar for the Prince William County Office of Elections.

Other counties, however, have not had it so easy.

According to The Center for Voter Information, half a million Virginians received absentee ballot applications with incorrect information on them, including incorrect return addresses. Fairfax City and Fairfax County, Franklin City and Franklin County, Richmond City and Richmond County, and Roanoke City and Roanoke County all received applications with the incorrect addresses.

“Approximately half a million applications sent to eligible voters in Virginia included incorrect information, and we are working diligently to address the issues. Mistakes in our programming are very rare, but we take them seriously,” stated a press release from The Center for Voter Information.

Aside from the return addresses, the applications are causing confusion among voters who already submitted absentee ballot applications, according to Fairfax County Election Officials, as The Center for Voter Information is ‘mass mailing pre-filled, absentee ballot applications to county voters without their request.’ The practice has left Fairfax voters who already applied with a second application and some with the suspicion that the application may be fake.

“These voters are worried that their applications were not received, leading them to think they need to apply again. While the mailing may appear to be from an official government agency, the Fairfax County Office of Elections did not send it,” stated a press release from the Fairfax County Government.

The Center for Voter Information offered an apology for any confusion the applications may have caused. The applications were a part of a campaign to encourage absentee voting due to the current global pandemic, as according to the Center for Disease Control, ‘elections with only in-person voting on a single day are higher risk for COVID-19 spread.’

“We know that voters are on high alert as the November election approaches, and we regret adding to any confusion. Please rest assured that we are working with local election officials in Virginia to re-direct the vote-by-mail applications to the proper locations, and will rectify any errors at our own expense,” stated a press release from The Center for Voter Information.

Similar issues with absentee ballot applications have also occurred in states across the country, including North Carolina and Pennsylvania, according to WTOP News.

To receive an absentee ballot application, eligible Virginia voters can visit the Virginia Department of Elections website.