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It's legal, but the 'Voter Participation Center" mailings are not from the government.

Have you checked your mail in the last few days? Chances are you have a letter from the Voter Participation Center waiting for you. More than 700,000 of the voter registration forms have gone out to North Carolina homeowners this month.

GREENSBORO, NC -- Have you checked your mail in the last few days?
Chances are you have a letter from the Voter Participation Center (VPC) waiting for you.

More about VPC

More than 700,000 of the voter registration forms have gone out to North Carolina homeowners th

The letters can say a number of things like:
You're not registered to vote.
Your mailing address is incorrect.
Or something needs to be updated on your voter registration, fill out the attached form and mail it.

It is important to know while the form looks official and claims it needs your attention right away, it is not from any government agency.

Charlie Collicutt, the director of the Guilford County Board of Elections, says here's what you need to know.

“These forms that are coming out from this group, they are not coming from the Guilford County Board of Elections. They are not coming from the State Board of Elections,” Collicutt said.

There’s a fine print at the bottom of the first page that indicates that but you would have to look really close to see it.

However, Collicutt says the voter registration forms included are actually legal.

“What they are trying to do is target people that they think are not registered to vote or may have moved,” Collicutt explained. “I think we are getting some good addresses updated and some new voters registered so that's good.”

Several nonprofit groups are doing the same thing.

When you get the letter, just make sure the return envelope is addressed to the State Board of Elections.
Once you fill it out, put it in the mail and the state will receive it.
If the return address is for the group which sent it, you don’t have to mail it back if you don’t feel comfortable. But, you can still use the form and drop it off at the local board of elections office.

Keep in mind, some of the information in the letter might not always be accurate.

Some of you will notice it says you have moved and you haven't.
It says you are not registered and you think you are.
Just call the board of elections yourself to double-check.

If you don't want to get any more mail from VPC, they tell you exactly how to stop it, right there on the letter.


Jim Popkin who handles media for the group send 2 Wants To Know a statement which reads in part:
“Since 2004, VPC has helped nearly 3 million Americans register to vote nationally, and 88,686 in North Carolina since 2006. Why focus on NC? VPC is sending voter applications there because 687,517 people of color in NC are eligible to vote but not registered!”

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