What is the real purpose of these ads? Shaming people into voting if they think that their “friends and family” will look up their information to see whether they actually voted? How often they vote? Future employers can also check, as can landlords, creditors, work colleagues, and stalkers.
I don't even know if it's true that "friends and family" can just look it up. "Public record" isn't the same as "readily available to the general public." Politicians, PACs, etc pay to get that information, and they are certainly shelling out for that info, but friends and family?
We get postcards that say "Your vote is secret, but the fact you voted is public." Hubs is like, "Is this some sort of scam or threat?" I explained it's true info, but am befuddled by the motive.
You might find this article interesting, about those postcards saying groups/people knowing that you voted. Apparently hubs wasn't the only one to think they sounded threatening. And it's possible that tone makes them illegal in some states.
@misterfive Thank you for posting this. The mailing definitely left me uneasy.
Yeah, it sounded like they were just trying to get out the vote, but it does seem very misguided to me, especially in our current political climate.
This is nonsense intended for paranoids.
I got a mailing from the California Secretary of State which showed that I had voted — not HOW — in the past five elections, along with the records of whether some "neighbors" — names and addresses, other than the (several miles long) street we're all on — of whether or not THEY voted.
And it points out that IF you voted is indeed a matter of public record, but HOW you voted is something even THEY don't know.
@mcfate @misterfive @cassandra17lina
Got the same letter in NM
No one knows how you vote unless you tell them