FBI Investigating Misleading Calls to Voters

By Lane Wright, 8NEWS
Nov. 09, 2006

Going to the polls may have been intimidating for some Virginia voters Tuesday. 8NEWS has learned the FBI is investigating reports of phone calls, threatening to arrest people if they showed up to vote.

An FBI spokesman is confirming that agents are looking into reports of voter intimidation in several Virginia counties.

If you take a look at this map you can see where voters were getting those calls. Chesterfield County is the most recent location to be added to the list but you can see it also included places like Newport News, Hampton, Colonial Heights. The State Election Board says it's been getting complaints from voters saying the calls are trying to send them to the wrong polling places or tricking them to stay home. An election official says the FBI is investigating the matter because the state board lacks the power to do so.

Here's a listen of one of those phone calls left on someone's answering machine: "This is the Virginia Elections commission. We've determined that you're registered in New York to vote, therefore you will not be allowed to cast your vote on Tuesday. If you do show up you will be charged criminally."

Now these cases have not been confirmed -- the FBI's still looking into them, but reports are coming from both Republican and Democratic voting areas.