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The AG issued a cease and desist letter on Thursday to the Center for Voter Information/Voter Participation Center (CVI/VPC) ordering the organization to stop sending letters to voters that threaten to publicly expose those registered voters who do not vote.
In the letter, the organization was ordered to "refrain from sending threatening communications in the future, and to agree not to follow through on threats to embarrass non-voters by publishing that information to their neighbors."
According to investigators, the AG and State Board of Elections have received several complaints about letters sent by the CVI/VPC, claiming to be “Voting Report Cards.”
Those letters then identified whether the recipients voted in each of the last four elections and compared their voting histories to the voting records of two of their neighbors who live on the same street.
In the letters, the names and street numbers of the neighbors are redacted.
The letters state, in part: “We’re sending this mailing to you and to your neighbors to share who does and does not vote in an effort to promote election participation.
"While we have hidden the name and street number of your neighbors to protect privacy, these are true voting records.
“We will be reviewing these records after the election to determine whether or not you joined our neighbors in voting.”
Attorney General Anthony Brown said that Maryland law permits a requestor to receive a copy of the voter registration list with voters’ election participation history included.
However, it prohibits conduct designed to "influence or attempt to influence a voter’s decision,” whether to go to the polls to cast a vote, or vote by other lawful means, “through the use of force, fraud, threat, menace, intimidation, bribery, reward, or offer of reward.”
The AG said that those being targeted by the CVI are being led to believe that if they choose not to vote, that decision will then be published to their neighbors.
"The recipients to whom our office has spoken have uniformly described feeling intimidated, threatened, shocked, and ill-at-ease by this mailing, as the letter suggests that there will be follow-up after the election," officials said.
"This threat to publicly expose the recipient’s voting record violates both Maryland and federal laws."
The cease and desist letter demands that the organization enter an agreement to stop sending threats to voters, and to refrain from publishing voter participation records after the election.
“Voting is among the most important rights that Marylanders have," Brown said. "Any action that intimidates prospective voters, especially on the eve of such a consequential election, will not be tolerated
“Let me be clear: these unnerving letters are unacceptable, and Maryland voters should know that their decision to vote this Election Day is entirely theirs to make.”
The cease and desist letter can be read here.
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