Local

Group sends letters identifying who voted and who didn't

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A local group sent letters to neighbors saying which of their neighbors voted and which didn’t.

Odell Grier has not voted yet, and he received a letter.

“It was very intrusive,” Grier said.

The letter looks like an official election mailing on the front, but inside it states, “We’re sending this mailing to you and your neighbors to publicize who does and does not vote.”

It states after the election, “We intend to mail an updated chart. You and your neighbors will know who voted and who did not.”

Then the letter lists the neighbors.

“And for someone to come in and to challenge me and to threaten,” Grier said. “That was insulting. Made me angry. Made me concerned.”

Eyewitness News looked into the letter and the group responsible, Political Consulting Group. The group is based in Sanford, N.C. Channel 9 called the phone number provided and sent an email, with no response.

A search of the group on the Secretary of State’s website finds no record of the group.

After a Google search, Channel 9 found mention of the group on a Freedom Riders blog, which mentioned the mailings and called the technique “intimidation” and “unethical.”

Voter Drew Stephens said he thinks it’s uncalled for at the least.

"If I would like to share it, if I feel it needs to be shared, I would like to do it myself,” Stephens said.

Grier said that he plans to vote soon, but was not influenced by the letter.

While voters may find it uncomfortable, it is not illegal. Who you voted for is not public record, but whether you vote is.