'Voter report card' mailers claim to compare votes with those of neighbors

Some Lincoln Parish voters have received mailouts purporting to compare their federal election voting records with those of their neighbors.

The “Voting Report Cards,” sent by a nonprofit, reportedly nonpartisan group called the Center for Voter Information, shows recipients whether they voted in 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022, as well as redacted names and house numbers of two neighbors along with their voting histories.

A cross-section of voters randomly contacted by the Leader who said they received the mailer described the tone of the document as odd, puzzling, and off-putting.

“It’s not any of my business whether my neighbors vote or not. I’m not Big Brother,” Ruston resident Lawrence Higginbotham said.

CVI spokesman Jim Popkin said 182,000 of the voter-comparison letters were recently sent to Louisiana voters. How many of those are in Lincoln Parish is unknown, as is the demographics of those to whom they were sent.

Most of the local residents who acknowledged getting a report card are registered Democrats. But other Democrats contacted said they didn’t get the mailer.

“We’re sending this mailing to you and your neighbors to share who does and does not vote in an effort to promote election participation,” the mailers read. “We will be reviewing these records after the election to determine whether or not you joined your neighbors in voting.”

Lincoln Parish Registrar of Voters Sharon Parnell said her office had received several inquiries from voters asking how their information became public.

Voting records — that is, whether someone voted, not their chosen candidates — are public information.

CVI’s president Tom Lopach, who’s also president of the partner group Voter Participation Center, said the voter report cards are meant to encourage people to vote.

“As a civic-engagement group, we use public records in Louisiana and elsewhere to help voters understand their voting records. Those who can vote — and have previously participated — often are inspired to vote when shown their record as it compares to those in their community. It’s a way to provide some meaningful benchmarks and encourage participation in our elections.

“There are millions of eligible citizens who might sit on the sidelines of our democracy for this crucial election. Our only purpose is to encourage them to vote,” he said in an emailed statement.

The Leader sent CVI a detailed list of questions asking, among other things, if certain voter demographics were targeted. As of late Friday afternoon, those answers had not been received.

CVI has apparently sent similar reports cards in other states and in other elections. A spokesman for Louisiana Secretary of State Nancy Landry’s office said as of Thursday, they hadn’t gotten calls about the Louisiana mailer.

According to stories online, officials in some states have issued statements telling voters the documents were not affiliated with state or local voting offices.

Meantime, the companion Voter Participation Center’s website says its goal is to increase voter registration and participation among what it calls the New American Majority, defined as “people of color, unmarried women, and young people — with the end goal of helping to ensure a representative electorate in U.S. elections.”

While both groups say they’re nonpartisan, Lopach has longstanding professional ties to Democrats, including having worked for the late U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy.