CNN —
Thousands of voters in Pennsylvania received confusing text messages this weekend claiming they had already voted in the 2024 presidential election.
“Records show you voted,” the message read, directing people to an official website with information about polling locations and early voting in the state.
All Vote, the group that created the document, said the message contained errors and should have told voters they voted in 2022 and provided a link to information about voting in 2024. However, “2022” was omitted, causing confusion. . The spokesperson said the misleading text was followed by an apology message, which may not have been received by those who responded with “stop” or who marked the first message as spam.
This is the latest instance of misleading or inaccurate election-related information being disseminated by the group, which has been flagged as fraud by officials across the country, including in key battleground states Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, North Carolina and Arizona. has been done.
The Pennsylvania Department of State announced this summer that after voters in Northampton County received a misleading message from AllVote that read, “Other malicious actors may attempt to send similar phishing emails/texts. , warned that voters should be more cautious as the November 5th election approaches. There was an issue with my voter registration status.
AllVote, which is committed to “mobilizing progressive voters” by providing information on how to vote, according to its website, does not collect data or send links that request personal information; He told CNN he was not involved in any phishing.
Charlotte Clymer, a spokeswoman for AllVote, told CNN that the group estimates “thousands of registered voters were affected by our mistake,” citing text messages received by voters in Pennsylvania over the weekend. He said he was doing it.
Clymer said the documents were “an unfortunate copy-editing error by staff working long hours” and that the organization had “dramatically tightened its approval process to ensure this never happens again.” .
The controversy in the Keystone State comes just days after the Wisconsin Elections Commission criticized AllVote for another misleading text message campaign. The group previously sent text messages containing links to incorrect election websites to thousands of Wisconsin voters, leading to complaints to the commission.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission said it investigated a text message from AllVote that provided a link that “initially appeared to be the voter’s city website, but was incorrect.” Commission administrator Megan Wolfe said groups like AllVote often try to portray themselves as official sources of election information, and that “the information they provide is often inaccurate. “Voters should exercise extreme caution when dealing with this type of unsolicited lobbying.” misleading. ”
Clymer told CNN last week that of the 750,000 total voters contacted by Wisconsin voters, about 15,000 received text messages from the group linking them to the wrong municipal voting website. Ta.
“We are taking every step to avoid sending false information to voters,” Clymer said, adding, “We are in no way representing ourselves as election officials.”
Little is known about the group, its founders, or its financial backers. A super PAC of the same name registered with the FEC earlier this month but has not yet reported raising or disbursing funds. Clymer declined to provide funding information.
Howie Stanger, who is listed as AllVote’s financial director in FEC filings, did not respond to CNN’s request for comment. According to LinkedIn, Stanger is the founder of Pocketbook Strategies, which aims to support “progressive organizations that want to dream big.”
Philip Hensley Robin, executive director of the advocacy group Common Cause Pennsylvania, said voters should consult official sources if they have questions or concerns about their ballot or the election process.
“With election misinformation and disinformation on the rise in the week leading up to the general election, we strongly encourage voters to rely on trusted official sources from their state and county election offices,” he said. Ta.
