GOP text message tells local man his early vote hasn't been logged

Text alert showed up two days after early ballot

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Steve Cassill has never had an issue casting a vote in Orange County, that is, until he received a text advising him, a Central Florida resident of 40 years, that his early ballot “has NOT yet been logged on the Florida roster.”

Cassill called News 6, convinced he had been targeted for some sort of political scheme.

“If I’m getting it, a lot of people are getting it," Cassill said. “Why go vote twice? You can’t.”

Cassill wanted to know how the GOP got his number and why he would receive the text two days after he voted.
“I voted on Tuesday," he said. "I got the text on Thursday.”

News 6 checked with Bill Cowles, Orange County supervisor of elections.

Cowles said his office was definitely not the source for any voter information, including phone numbers.

“The key part here is we at the supervisor of elections are not giving out phone numbers,” Cowles said.

He added that third-party companies may be selling phone lists to political organizations “and comparing them to voter lists.”

“Now, they’re sending you campaign messages and voting reminders about your ballot,” Cowles said.

Cowles ran a check of Casill’s voting status and confirmed his vote was logged into the system.

“We have to report it to the state by noon the next day, so it’s probably a case of mismatching and the information had not been updated before it (the text) went out," Cowles said.

News 6 called the number the text originated from, but the number was out of service.
 


About the Author:

News 6’s Emmy Award-winning Investigative Reporter Mike Holfeld has made Central Florida history with major investigations that have led to new policies, legislative proposals and even -- state and national laws. If you have an issue or story idea, call Mike's office at 407-521-1322.

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