SUMTER COUNTY, S.C. — A registered voter in Sumter County said she received election mail addressed to her 11-year-old son, and wondered if it resulted from an error with her own voter registration.
Time is almost up to register to vote in South Carolina. The deadline is Monday, October 5.
Many have already gone through the process, including Glynda Robinson of Sumter County.
But last week, she was left confused and frustrated after receiving another voter application in the mail. The letter was addressed to her child.
"I went to go check the mailbox, I looked, and I saw an envelope saying 'Zahmier Woods'," said Sumter County resident, Glynda Robinson. "Very peculiar because he's only 11."
Robinson was left concerned, wondering if something went wrong with her voter registration.
The letter she received was sent by the Voter Participation Center (VPC), a national non-profit organization working to increase voter registration among young people, people of color and unmarried women.
The South Carolina State Election Commission confirmed VPC is a legitimate organization, but for those who haven't received mail from them before, it could raise a red flag.
"I tried to get in contact with the people that sent the letter and to no avail I didn't get an answer or feedback," said Robinson. "I went down to our own voter registration office and I was told to just shred it because numerous people have been receiving the same thing."
Spokesman for the South Carolina State Election Commission, Chris Whitmire, says sometimes these mix-ups happen. For example, some residents have received mail for a deceased family member or mail addressed to the former resident of the household.
"I'm not really sure how [VPC was] putting together their list or how they were trying to identify people who are registered, but obviously that person is not qualified to register, being only 11 years old," said Whitmire. "A person could receive this and it's saying, 'Hey, do you think you're not registered to vote?' And the person's going, 'No, I am registered to vote'. They get concerned about it thinking, 'Is there something wrong with my registration?' So, it can create a lot of confusion."
Whitmire says with such a high interest in this year's election, many organizations are sending mail, e-mails and texts to people who they believe haven't registered to vote.
"If you don't wanna have to worry about having to figure out if this person is correct or just trying to do a good thing an incorrect thing, or they're trying to do a bad thing, is to just let it serve as a reminder, 'I need to be aware and up-to-date and informed on voter registration and election issues'," he said. "I do that very easily by going to SCvotes.gov."
Robinson is hoping her situation will inspire others to investigate further should they get anything out-of-the-ordinary in the mail.
"Dot all your I's and cross your T's," Robinson said. "You've got to be careful. There's people trying to do whatever they're doing, but it's not going to work. Not on me."
Keep in mind, WLTX also put together a 2020 Election Guide with everything you need to know to cast your ballot for the upcoming General Election.