FLORENCE - Sen. Maggie Glover, D-Florence, along with her fellow members of the Florence Branch of the NAACP, on Monday denounced a letter thought to have been mailed to many voters that they say is designed to scare them away from today’s polls.
The phony document, complete with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People seal printed at the top, portrays itself as a “voters guide.”
It strongly emphasizes a long list of eligibility requirements that include one set of provisos stating people cannot register to vote and would be subject to arrest if:
It also emphasized the need to bring a handwriting sample to the polls to aid with identification.
Glover said the letter was a clear case of intimidation toward black voters that caused her a great deal of concern. She said she also regarded it as a Republican ploy to try to subvert the election process.
Calvin Thomas, president of the Florence Branch of the NAACP, stressed that national NAACP officials will be investigating the matter and that the State Law Enforcement Division also will be made aware of the letter and its implications.
“This is obviously a bogus letter,” he said. “It’s obviously intended to deter our people from participating in tomorrow’s election process. We just want folks to feel confident that they won’t have any problems at the polls. We also will have people at the polls observing to make sure that none of this takes place.”
It’s not known how many people have received the letter, which was sent without a return address, but Glover said she was aware of its existence a few days before she received one in the mail Saturday.
She said the document is just another example of what has made the current election year more down and dirty than most.
“To be honest, I’ve never seen an election year quite like this one,” she said.
“This is mail and voter fraud. We, the voting public, must look at this and realize this is warfare. We are under attack.
Tomorrow we have got to go the polls with a vengeance,” Glover said.
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