NC robo-call operation sows confusion among voters

The Durham-based Institute for Southern Studies, for which I am nominally an investigative reporter despite having done no work for them in the past 12 months, has broken a major story on its Facing South blog about a robo-call effort carried out by a Washington nonprofit called Women's Voices Women Vote. The recorded message uses an African-American male voice to reach North Carolina voters, many of whom are not women, and notify them that they will receive a voter registration packet in the mail, which they should sign and mail back.

The problem is that the deadline to register to vote has already passed, and Facing South cites at least one person who received the call, Kevin Farmer of Durham, as being already registered. Farmer is white. Another person cited in the report, the Rev. Nelson Johnson of Greensboro, is black. The implication is that the effort might discourage people from voting by giving them the erroneous impression that they are not registered. Facing South reports that Women's Voices Women Vote Executive Director Joe Goode worked on Bill Clinton's presidential campaign in 1992. Various board members are identified as Hillary Clinton supporters.

Here's a taste of Facing South's unfolding story:

"Facing South has confirmed the source of the calls, and the mastermind is Women's Voices Women Vote, a D.C.-based nonprofit which aims to boost voting among "unmarried women voters."

"What's more, Facing South has learned that the firestorm Women's Voices has ignited in North Carolina isn't the group's first brush with controversy. Women's Voices' questionable tactics have spawned thousands of voter complaints in at least 11 states and brought harsh condemnation from some election officials for their secrecy, misleading nature and likely violations of election law.

"First, a quick recap: As we covered yesterday, N.C. residents have reported receiving peculiar automated calls from someone claiming to be "Lamont Williams." The caller says that a "voter registration packet" is coming in the mail, and the recipient can sign it and mail it back to be registered to vote. No other information is provided."

UPDATE, 6:53 p.m.

The Obama campaign is publicizing the Facing South story, and has launched a website for voters to report "last-minute, underhanded campaign tactics" by the senator's opponents.