State police investigate source of phony election flier

By Julian Walker
The Virginian-Pilot
© October 30, 2008

State Police continue to investigate the source of the phony election flier that was circulated in Hampton Roads earlier this week advising Republicans to vote on Nov. 4 and Democrats to vote on Nov. 5.

Contrary to the erroneous claim on the flier, Election Day remains Nov. 4.

The document, which has been distributed in Hampton, Newport New, Norfolk and Virginia Beach, purported to be an official government statement; it bore the state seal and the State Board of Elections logo.

In fact, the flier, which contained several misspellings, was not issued by state election officials.

It claimed the General Assembly had taken emergency action to allow voting over two days because of expected massive voter turnout. No such action was taken by state legislators.

State Police today said the flier has been scanned and is apparently now circulating via e-mail.

“There is no indication, at this stage of the ongoing investigation, that there are multiple flyers being distributed, or that multiple sources are responsible for the creation of the fake flyer,” Lt. Col. H.C. Davis, director of the State Police’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation, said in a written statement.

Distribution of false information to voters is a Class 1 misdemeanor in Virginia.

Julian Walker, (804) 697-1564

COMMENTS ADVISORY: Users are solely responsible for opinions they post here; comments do not reflect the views of The Virginian-Pilot or its websites. Users must follow agreed-upon rules: Be civil, be clean, be on topic; don't attack private individuals, other users or classes of people. Read the full rules here.
- Comments are automatically checked for inappropriate language, but readers might find some comments offensive or inaccurate. If you believe a comment violates our rules, click the report violation link below it.