Orange County

Receive a text from someone asking you to register to vote by mail? Here’s what to know

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ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Several people have come forward to Channel 9 after they said they received text messages from unknown numbers offering help with voting by mail.

“It was a text out of the blue,” one woman said. “I just felt like perhaps my identity might have been compromised, or someone was trying to steal my identity.”

We asked Orange County Supervisor of Elections Bill Cowles what to do if you receive a similar message.

READ: Central Florida supervisors of elections prepare for increase in mail-in ballots, sanitizing efforts

“We know that it’s harvesting the information,” Cowles said.

He said he believes these messages are an issue nationwide, especially as many people are looking to vote by mail instead of in person due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“The individual is going to have to make a decision as to whether that’s someone that they know. If it’s someone they don’t know, go to the authority,” Cowles said.

In this case, that authority would be your local supervisor of elections. That’s also where you can go to request a mail-in ballot without giving a third party your personal information.

Steve Barrett

Steve Barrett, WFTV.com

Reporter Steve Barrett returned to WFTV in mid-2017 after 18 months in the Twin Cities, where he worked as Vice President of Communications for an Artificial Intelligence software firm aligned with IBM.

Sarah Wilson

Sarah Wilson, WFTV.com

Sarah Wilson joined WFTV Channel 9 in 2018 as a digital producer after working as an award-winning newspaper reporter for nearly a decade in various communities across Central Florida.

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