Robocalls Aim To Suppress Mail-In Voting: Illinois AG

ILLINOIS — Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is urging residents to ignore an expected wave of false robocalls warning that voting by mail could make their personal information available to others.

Voters in Michigan, Pennsylvania and other states have received calls from an automated recording that claims officials will share personal information of those who vote by mail with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other agencies, Raoul said in a news release, asking voters to "disregard any messages containing such false claims."

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The recordings falsely claim the information is being used to track people for mandatory vaccinations, to help police find people with outstanding warrants and to locate those with debts for creditors, Raoul's office said.

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With more than a million people in Illinois potentially voting by mail, residents should expect and be prepared for a similar wave of robocalls ahead of the Nov. 3 election, according to Raoul’s office. More than 1.3 million Illinois residents have requested mail-in ballots, Raoul said Thursday.

“Many Illinois residents will opt to vote by mail as we all take precautions to protect ourselves and our loved ones from the spread of COVID-19,” Raoul said in the release. “We have already seen efforts to discourage people from voting by mail, and it is likely that those efforts will intensify as the November election approaches.”

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Steve Sandvoss, executive director of the Illinois State Board of Elections, urged residents to be vigilant to ensure they don’t “fall prey to disinformation schemes like this one.” He encouraged people to vote by mail if they have concerns about their health amid the coronavirus pandemic.

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“Voting by mail is as secure and confidential as in-person voting, and it’s the safe method of voting for those concerned about COVID-19 exposure,” Sandvoss said.

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Those who receive robocalls about mail-in voting should ignore them and report the call to the Illinois State Board of Elections at 217-782-4141 or 312-814-6465, Robocalls can also be reported to the Attorney General’s Office Consumer Fraud Hotline at 800-386-5438 (Chicago office), 800-243-0618 (Springfield) or 800-243-0607 (Carbondale).