By now you've probably decided if you're going to vote. Yet some groups are still trying to push people to the polls.
One group is sending out mailers to you and your neighbors. It's like a report card. It comes from the Washington D.C. based Center for Voter Information.
Names and exact addresses are blacked out.
But it shows your street.
And it shows who "does and does not vote" all the way back to 2010.
They say they'll be reviewing and updating your voting record after this election too. And if you don't vote, they may call because they're "interested to hear why not." It is public information and your exact vote can't be seen.
And I hope everyone who can vote, does vote. But, the mailer sounds like intimidation to the person who let me know about it. So we asked, are they trying to shame people into voting?
Here is the response from the Center for Voter Information:
Statement from Page Gardner, Founder and President, CVI:
"We have one main mission, and that's to encourage people to vote-especially those most likely to drop off as voters between presidential and mid-term elections. Whether someone voted in an election is public record. As a civic-engagement group, we use public records to help voters understand their voting records. Those who can vote-and have previously participated-often are inspired to vote when shown their record. It's a way to provide some meaningful benchmarks and encourage greater involvement in our democracy.
Arizona's Adriana Araceli Hall is a great example. When our sister group sent her avotingreportcard in October, she was so inspired that she went on Facebook to offer free rides to the polls for any voters in her area, regardless of party affiliation.
Our research shows that nearly 40 million Americans who voted in the 2016 presidential election will probably not vote on November 6th. The work we do, particularly among the most traditionally under-represented voters, is trying to improve those grim statistics.
There are millions of eligible citizens in Arizona who might sit on the sidelines of our democracy for this crucial election. And way too many of them come from under-represented groups of Americans, including African-Americans, Latinos, young people, single women and others who are struggling to make it in America. The Center for Voter Information is a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization dedicated to increasing the participation of historically underrepresented groups in our democracy. Our only purpose is to encourage people to vote!"
