The Michigan Secretary of State's office is investigating a deceptive robocall issued in Detroit to warn against mail-in voting.
The call wrongly says that the personal information of those who vote absentee will be retained as part of a "public data base" used by police "to track down old warrants," by credit card companies to collect outstanding debts, and by the Centers for Disease Control to “track people for mandatory vaccines.”
"Don't be harassed into giving your private information to the man," the voice on the call says.
The voice on the call claims to be working on behalf of Project 1599, the political organization of right-wing political operatives Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman, but the pair have denied involvement and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson's office says the origin of the call is unknown, the Daily Beast reported.
My office has received a recording of a robocall targeting Detroit voters using racially-charged stereotypes and false information to deter voting by mail. It is an unconscionable, indefensible, blatant attempt to lie to citizens about their right to vote. https://t.co/lgNEh8mtvf
— Jocelyn Benson (@JocelynBenson) August 27, 2020
Benson tweeted a recording of the call Thursday, saying "Attorney General Dana Nessel and I will use every tool at our disposal to dispel this & other false rhetoric & seek justice on behalf of every voter who was targeted & harmed by this vicious attempt at voter suppression."
She encouraged Michiganders to report similar false information to elections@michigan.gov.
The same call reportedly went out in Chicago and Pennsylvania.
