Robo call using Obama voice tells wrong polling place!

[lisainmilo]

I just recieved a robo call from supposedly Barack Obama telling how important this election is and remember to vote Novemeber 4, the call then goes to "your pollling place" and told me the wrong polling place. The number that called me was 888-686-8191, I tried to call back, only to be told I have reached the "voice message center"

These are dirty republican ^*^&((*^ that will stop at NOTHING. :mad:

Please be sure you know the proper place to vote on November 4 check with your SOS in my case it is Missouri SOS Robin Carnahan
http://www.sos.mo.gov/

I have alerted the Obama campaign!

[emulatorloo]

1. alert talkingpointsmemo.com too -- they are tracking and publicizing dirty tricks like this

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/

There is a link on the right hand side for sending news tips.

[merh]

2. Alert your SOS and Attorney General too.

They probably have email addies - also alert your county registrar and local party leaders.

The more that are enraged by this the better. The correct polling places need to be publicized and a spotlight on this fraudulent robocall so that the media can address it and better inform the voters.

thanks for all of your efforts.

[Overseas]

3. K&R for the voter suppression file.

Robocalls misdirecting voters are one of the Republican/GOP standard techniques to reduce the Democratic vote count.

Glad you've reported it and I hope someone records the call.

Hope Democrats collect enough technical info on these robocalls to catch the perpetrators.

[md83]

4. Some info on that number

http://whocalled.us/lookup/8886868191

[renate]

5. is this kind of thing illegal or merely punishable by a long stint in hell?

I can't believe there aren't laws against interfering with an election this way.

[Laelth]

18. Republicans don't care whether their acts are legal.

They want to win, at any cost. So what if it's illegal? So long as it works, they don't care. This call will do the damage intended, and then, after the election, once it's too late to do anything about it, people will let it slide. Republicans seldom get caught, and, even when they're caught, seldom get prosecuted.

I wish the American people (and the Democratic Party) believed as I do that we need Nuremberg-like trials for these criminals. A lot of Republicans need to go to prison for what they've done over the past eight years. If we don't start sending them to prison, they will keep breaking the law because they know they can get away with it.

:mad:

The United States is a LIBERAL Country.

:dem:

-Laelth

[tbyg52]

6. I have been through every reverse lookup site there is

and I can find *nothing* on that number. Is there such a thing as an unlisted 800 number?

[girl gone mad]

7. It's associated with the Obama campaign..

and also Barbara Boxer.

http://whocalled.us/lookup/8886868191

27 calls reported from this number. According to 3 reports the identity of this caller is Michelle Obama

Who Called Caller ID Date
Yes on Prop 4 888-686-8191 2008-10-08
Vote for Change 888-686-8191 2008-10-06
Obama's Campaign N/A 2008-10-01
Obama's Campaign Unknown Name 2008-10-01
Obama 888-686-8191 2008-10-06
Obama 2008-10-06
Michelle Obama 888-686-8191 2008-10-06
Michelle Obama unknown 2008-10-06
Michelle Obama out of area 2008-10-04
Barbara Boxer/No on 4 888 686-8191 2008-10-25
Barbara Boxer 888 Services 2008-10-25
800 Service 2008-10-15

[rucky]

10. And "Yes on 4"... and "No on 4"

You can put whatever you want into your caller ID

[mcg]

12. That doesn't prove it's associated with the Obama campaign.

People could be falsely claiming to have gotten such a call,
or someone could be calling claiming to be the Obama campaign.

[tbyg52]

15. Well, yeah, but that just tells what the people calling from it said.

It doesn't prove who pays for the number. And there is *no* information on that that I could find.

[sudopod]

20. Spoofing phone numbers is illegal IIRC

but it isn't technically difficult.

[jrockford]

26. No it isn't. nt

[vaberella]

8. Send this to Obama and Huff Post!! Please, and if you get a recording to send to them.

Oh and send it to KO and Rachel Maddow, they'll publicize this on Monday.

[progressoid]

9. Somebody paid for the 888 number. Call your Secy of State!!

[struggle4progress]

11. Contact your local Obama campaign. Let the campaign sort it out: they have the expertise

It could be an R dirty trick; it could be miskeyed data; it could a mapping program error.

[mcg]

13. 888-686-8191 referenced on kidjacked.com and other web sites

My guess is that it is a call center business that various clients use.

888-686-8191 is referenced on kidsarewaiting.org, kidjacked.com (registration info below)
and other anti-Child Protective Services web sites. It was used by them before.
The anti-CPS people seem quite right-wing. CPS probably could use some reform,
but their viewpoint at first glance seems extremely right-wing.

Given that you get a recording saying they are "the voice message center",
I greatly doubt it is the Obama campaign.

I suspect some Rovian tactics going on here. I don't think prior use by apparently
right-wing groups is a coincidence.

http://whocallsme.com/Phone-Number.aspx/8886868191
"Call promoting Barbara Boxer."

http://www.robtheguy.org/blog/
"... was a recorded message from “the Barack Obama campaign” with a dire warning that John McCain is gearing up to start calling and mailing me to sling mud and spread vicious lies about his opponent."

http://www.networksolutions.com/whois/results.jsp?domain=kidsarewaiting.org
kidsarewaiting.org
Registrant Name: Fred Lipton
Registrant Organization: The Pew Charitable Trusts
2005 Market St.
Philadelphia PA 19103 US
Registrant Phone:[phone]
Registrant Email:[e-mail]

Regarding The Pew Charitable Trusts...
"The trusts have traditionally supported politically conservative and evangelistic projects
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Pew_Charitable_Trusts.aspx

kidjacked.com
Registrant:
Shawn Hall
PO Box 1645
Twain Harte, California 95383
United States
Registered through: 12PointDesign
Administrative Contact:
Hall, Shawn [e-mail]

[tbyg52]

17. Here's a little more info on the number

http://www.callercomplaints.com/SearchResult.aspx?Phone=888-686-8191

According to this, yes, there is such a thing as an unlisted 800 number. I find it hard to believe the Obama campaign would be associated with the kind of outfit that appears to own this number.

[wildflowergardener]

14. polling place

I suppose it's possible they could have made a mistake. I just went canvassing in Missouri (St. Louis) and we were handing out flyers with a person's polling place location on it. I suppose it would be possible to make a mistake or of course it could have been the republicans. Maybe check with the campaign office and make sure that they did not have you down at the wrong polling place in their records and if they are actually calling people too with polling places.

Meg

[FVZA_Colonel]

16. Well, let's hope they fix it soon if it is a mistake.

[dcindian]

19. They really have to make this a federal crime with some real teeth behind it.

Six years in jail for each count would be about right.

[redstate_democrat]

21. First of all, the call is not a fake. It is from the Obama campaign and MO Democrats

I got the same call today and I'm in St. Louis. It is Barack with a message and then another voice gives you your polling place. The voice gave me the correct polling place. This is from the Obama campaign. It is not a fake. They probably just got the wrong voter information for you. Check on voteforchange.org to see where your polling place is. If they have the wrong information on there too, then you know why they told you the wrong thing in their message.

[wildflowergardener]

22. Call

Ok - I just got the same call too. It was Obama's voice, and then they told me my polling place - the correct one. I would suggest you call your campaign office just in case some voters in your area are being told the wrong polling place and there is something in their database they should correct, because if so, it also went out on flyers - I was canvassing yesterday and we were handing them out. Did you get a flyer yesterday with a polling place on it?

I kind of wondered about giving that info out - worried that what happens if someone, somehow gets the wrong flyer.

Meg

[dana_b]

23. f***ing scumbags!

It's the ONLY way they can win, evidently.

Good for you for alerting the campaign. Did you write to them or call? I think calling is better.

[RayOfHope]

24. Lisa, it may be legit but a mistake, my Obama GOTV mailer was incorrect

I posted about it in the MO forum. My county was going to change our polling place. They had a new location picked out, and that is the one the campaign obtained. Then the county changed it back, but the GOTV mailers had already been changed.

I too called the campaign and let them know. Luckily your precinct is very small, but mine is bigger than I thought. The mistake with ours was Greene CO being stupid and not realizing until a few days ago that the new place wasn't handicapped accessible. Morans.

on edit: call Tammi Beach at the courthouse and see if she can give you any info on how the wrong polling location got out.

[VenusRising]

25. Someone came into the Obama office in Columbus reporting the same thing.

They told someone from the north side that they would have to go vote on campus which is about a 25 minutes drive. I hope they find out who is pulling this crap.