Get a suspicious text in the Sacramento area? Voting scam is targeting locals
Get a mysterious text message about voting? It’s likely a scam.
Sacramento-area residents recently turned to social media to report receiving suspicious texts regarding mail-in ballots or voter registration ahead of November’s presidential election.
Similar texts about inactive or canceled voting registration have been popping up on California’s Central Coast, prompting the San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder’s Office to issue a warning about a text message scam.
Scam victims received texts claiming that their voter registration status is inactive or subject to cancellation, Clerk-Recorder’s Office public information officer Erin Clausen told The Tribune.
Unless the information is verifiably coming from the Secretary of State’s Office or the SLO County Clerk-Recorder’s office, Clausen said, statements about voter rolls are not accurate — and should be ignored.
Those in the Sacramento area should also ignore suspicious voting-related texts, local elections officials said.
“Our office doesn’t really text voters directly,” said Ken Casparis with the Sacramento County Voter Registration and Elections office.
“The only time a legitimate text may appear to come from us is if a voter is signed up for ‘Where’s My Ballot?’ through BallotTrax, a ballot tracking service created by the California Secretary of State, Casparis said.
Casparis added that those messages will include contact information for Sacramento County.
What do spam text messages say?
On Thursday, Reddit user doxiegrl1 shared a screenshot of one of the spam text messages they received, which claimed that they weren’t “signed up to receive a ballot in the mail” and included a link and deadline to do so.
“I have received three of these in the last week, all from different numbers,” doxiegrl1 wrote on the Sacramento subreddit. “After the third one, I googled for the official California voting website and confirmed that I am registered to receive my ballot in the mail like normal.”
Another Reddit user, Blue Popple, reported receiving a suspicious text about voter registration.
“I received one stating my voter registration wasn’t up to date,” the Reddit user wrote. “Blocked and reported as spam.”
Casparis confirmed that these texts were not official messages from the Sacramento County elections office.
Do I need to sign up for a mail-in ballot in Sacramento County?
Contrary to what the spam messages say, you do not need to sign up to get a mail-in ballot.
“Every active registered voter in Sacramento County will receive a mail ballot automatically — this isn’t something they need to sign up for,” Casparis said.
You can register to vote online.
Can my voter registration expire? Be canceled?
Voter registration does not expire, but it can be canceled, Casparis said.
Canceled registration occurs when the county receives the following:
- A signed written request from the voter
- Notification that the mental incompetency of the voter is legally established
- Proof that the voter is presently imprisoned for the conviction of a felony
- Official notification that the voter is registered to vote in another state
- Notification the voter is deceased
Voters can also be given “inactive” status, Casparis said.
Inactive voters are still registered voters. However, these individuals are not mailed voting materials.
You may be considered an inactive voter if you’ve moved and do not confirm your new address.
Typically, you’ll be mailed a request to confirm your residency. If you return the card you receive, you’ll be reactivated.
However, if you’ve been inactive for two federal general elections since receiving an address confirmation notice and have not responded, Casparis said, your registration will be canceled.