Ted Cruz's Ludicrous Voter-Shaming Mailer Is a Deceptive Sham
Just when you thought Ted Cruz’s blinding asininity had reached its peak, the Republican presidential candidate achieved the unthinkable by becoming even more unlikeable.
In a move that was widely rebuked from all sides this week, Cruz’s campaign sent voting report letters to Iowa voters, informing voters that they were sent due to “low expected voter turnout in your area.” The letters were sent in envelopes with the words “VOTING VIOLATION” written in red letters on the front.
.@TedCruz campaign mailed #IowaCaucus voters misleading "violation" https://t.co/PayPAJ84aR https://t.co/StcKy2N0F8 pic.twitter.com/hlzXJV8fIT
— Alex Howard (@digiphile) January 31, 2016
Man, @TedCruz is such a scumbag (and so is his campaign staffer who thought this was a good idea) #iacaucus pic.twitter.com/5ybjhbZdA5
— Logan Smith (@LoganJames) January 30, 2016
Cruz himself defended the notices, according to the Associated Press, saying that that type of tactic is “routine” and that he and his staffers are “using every tool we can” to get voters out.
As it turns out, these “voter violations” aren’t even a legitimate way to measure voter participation, and they are not official documents. The report cards say that the information was gleaned from “voting registration and voter history records” which distributed by the Iowa Secretary of State. But Iowa’s Secretary of State himself, Paul Pate, went so far to say that the notices misrepresents voter data in a statement on Saturday, according to The Hill, and that no such official violation even exists.
“Accusing citizens of Iowa of a ‘voting violation’ based on Iowa Caucus participation, or lack thereof, is false representation of an official act. There is no such thing as an election violation related to frequency of voting...Additionally, the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office never ‘grades’ voters”...Nor does the Secretary of State maintain records related to Iowa Caucus participation. Caucuses are organized and directed by the state political parties, not the Secretary of State, nor local elections officials.
Also, the Iowa Secretary of State does not ‘distribute’ voter records. They are available for purchase for political purposes only, under Iowa Code.”
It’s not clear then, whether the data released by the “voter violations” is even accurate, or whether it reflects any recorded voting trends whatsoever. Cruz, however, has said he will not apologize for the technique, and will be continuing his campaign of insufferable priggishness up until—and after—the Iowa caucuses on Monday.
