Almost 700 letters return to clerk's office

link Staff photo: Aubry Buzek

Robert Horton, an election specialist with the Curry County Clerk’s Office, sorted through 688 letters that arrived Monday. The letters were returned from more than 3,324 sent as part of a voter purge in June.

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Almost 700 of the more than 3,000 letters sent to purged voters in June were returned to the Curry County Clerk's Office Monday, and more may be on the way, according to County Clerk Rosalie Riley.

The county sent letters as a final attempt to reach state-flagged voters who had not voted in two consecutive federal general elections.

Riley said there could be many reasons why the letters didn't reach voters.

“They could have moved out of state and didn't re-register wherever they moved, it could be that they are convicted felons and incarcerated, it could be that they have totally moved and changed their name and re-registered to vote and we wouldn't know that they had an old name,” Riley said. “My goal was just to make sure my voter records are 100 percent solid.”

Riley said the letters will be placed with the pulled voter cards with a notation of the date the letters were sent and returned.

“You know, it cost 58 cents to mail those letters out, but if we saved heartache or saved anybody from being purged that didn't totally deserve being purged, we've done well,” Riley said. “I am all about saving a dollar too, but I'm also about going the extra mile for everybody.”

Riley said the office received calls from voters who did not know they were being purged, and others who called to check their voter id records, “so it's been a good thing for us.”

Election Specialist Amber Roberts said the purge is supposed to be conducted every four years, although the former Secretary of State failed to send notices in 2011.

Riley said voters have until June 3, 2016 to register to vote in the next primary election, but her goal “is that people don't wait until the end because they can't get a card — it takes us time.”

Riley said voters can check their registration status at the Secretary of State's web site, or give the county clerk's office a call.

The clerk's office will also have a booth set up at the Curry County Fair next month to register voters and teach kids how to vote.

“Hopefully if we have done our job well and we got information out to the public,” Riley said, “nobody will have their heart broken when it comes time to vote.”