Have you gotten a text message telling you aren’t registered to vote?
The texts say: “We have you in our records as not registered to vote. Check your registration status & register in 2 minutes at” and provide URLs.
But don't click on the link. Instead, go directly to your county or state elections website to verify your status. That’s according to cybersecurity expert Ken Colburn of Data Doctors.
“The safest thing to do is never click on anything that comes in the text message,” he said.
Maricopa County has a website where you can check your voter registration and ballot status: BeBallotReady.vote.
“If you do get a text and it looks suspicious, instead of going through that channel – when you don't really know who's on the other end – we really recommend going right to the source,” Maricopa County Recorder’s Office spokesperson Taylor Kinnerup said.
Phone numbers with Utah area codes sent three unsolicited text messages to my cellphone in the last week telling me I’m not registered to vote. They had identical wording, although one text included a different URL.
Colburn said he assumes everything he gets is a scam.
“It's nearly impossible, including for tech people, to look at a text message and figure out very quickly whether it's legit or not,” he said. “So my attitude is always ‘guilty until proven innocent.’”
It’s not clear who is sending the text messages. Both website domains – all-vote.com and vote-reg.org – were registered recently. Their owner is hidden, but they list the same Colorado post office box.
Colburn said they could be from a legitimate third-party trying to get people registered to vote. Or they could be trying to verify your phone number for future scams or spam.
“It doesn't matter how convincing it sounds, just don't do it,” he said. “That's the only way to be safe is, just don't interact with any of these text messages.”
Kinnerup said the recorder’s office regularly hears from voters about such messages, but the county can’t control the third parties sending them. However, voters should be aware that their voting record and voter registration are all public record, she said.
Some text messages are legitimate.
You can sign up for text messages about your ballot at BeBallotReady.vote. However, those texts are always sent from a specific six-digit number – 628683 – instead of a phone number.
Kinnerup said voters with questions can email VoterInfo@risc.maricopa.gov.
