Registrars: Voter fraud not that easy

By Sarah Arkin

Published: August 2, 2008

Amid an explosion of concern about voter registration fraud in Virginia and record numbers of new voters, local registrars say it’s actually pretty difficult to get away with false registry, and that while numbers are up, that just happens during a presidential year.

On Monday, state Republican Chairman Jeff Frederick claimed widespread election fraud by groups aligned with progressive and environmental advocacy groups, and called for a statewide look into voter registration groups’ operations.

His words were prompted by an incident last week, when three members of a Hampton Roads registration group were arrested for filling out registration forms with names they reportedly picked out of a phonebook.

“It’s not easy to falsely register somebody,” said Pittsylvania County Registrar Jenny Saunders, who explained that in addition to the registrar going over the application for obvious errors (like missed questions), there’s a statewide database all applications are checked against.

Saunders said to the best of her and her staff’s knowledge, no groups, non-partisan or political, have made efforts for mass voter registration in the county.

The story is different in Danville.

“This happens every presidential year,” Danville Registrar Peggy Petty said, referring to “special interest groups” picking up a stack of voter registration forms to take them door to door.

She defines those special interest groups as any entity that works on registering voters, including churches and people setting up a stand at Wal-Mart, as well as canvassers for specific candidates.

Check and balances

Anyone coming into the registrar’s office is not required to identify themselves or their organization, and the registrar isn’t required to ask, Petty said. Her office can give out a certain number of forms at one time, she said, and then an organization or individual has to contact the state board to get more.

When a registrar gets an application, whether from an individual or from a group dropping off a collection, there is a specific approval protocol, according to both Petty and Saunders.

The registrar has to first make sure all questions are answered and filled out properly, including whether the applicant is a citizen, their Social Security number, date of birth, full name, valid residence, whether they’ve been convicted of a felony, or whether they have been determined mentally capable.

If any of that is left off, Petty said, the application is denied.

Mistakes happen

Someone might forget to answer one question, or may transpose two digits in either a telephone number or Social Security number, Petty and Saunders said.

As far as Petty knows, members from the non-partisan Virginia Organizing Project, Democratic congressional candidate Tom Perriello’s campaign and Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s campaign have all come in for forms.

She said members of the Virginia Organizing Project has been in the area since May, and that Obama staffers came to the registrar’s office shortly before the campaign office’s official opening.

Petty stressed that the registrar’s office “is not sanctioning, supporting or endorsing any of the door-to-door organizations.”

Tommy Roberts, a member of the Virginia Organizing Project who has been knocking on doors and registering voters in Danville since May, said the rules are clear about what organizers can and cannot do.

Once a person signs the application, he said, any third party isn’t allowed to touch it, even if he sees a simple mistake.

Any third party has 15 days to get a signed application to the registrar’s office, and as of July 1, all third party registrars are required to give a receipt to anyone they’ve registered, including their name, telephone number and e-mail address.

Saunders said she thought, in general, getting people involved in the community, in registering voters, is a great thing.

“We have the checks and balances … to make sure the wrong person doesn’t get registered and the right person does,” Saunders said.

Contact Sarah Arkin at or (434) 791-7983.