The New York State Board of Elections is tracking a number of complaints regarding people going door-to-door, impersonating county Board of Elections staff members.
A spokesperson said the investigation is a developing situation, and it appears to be part of a "coordinated, consistent pattern of activity."
In central and northern New York, elections officials have fielded complaints in Onondaga and Jefferson counties. Other affected counties include Chautauqua, Ontario, Putnam, Saratoga, Steuben, Warren, and Washington.
Onondaga County Democratic Elections Commissioner Dustin Czarny said when he heard people were going door-to-door impersonating elections staff across the state, workers put out a social media blast and learned that it’s happening here.
"It is kind of concerning now that we've learned that there's at least two incidents of this happening, and I'm sure there's more. These kinds of things often go unreported," Czarny said.
Officials said they have received complaints that fake staff members are knocking on doors, confronting voters regarding their registration status, and erroneously accusing voters of committing a crime because of how they appear in the state voter database.
Czarny said while he can’t talk about the specifics of any particular case, there seems to be a general pattern.
"We have these groups of people who are trying to prove voter fraud and are getting data from the state that they do not understand," he said.
Czarny said the Onondaga County Board of Elections will never send people to your door to check your information.
In a statement responding to the complaints, Raymond J. Riley III, Co-Executive Director of the State Board of Elections, said, “We are extremely alarmed by these actions. These individuals are impersonating government officials in an effort to intimidate voters based on inaccurate and misleading information. We strongly encourage those engaging in these activities to cease immediately.”
Officials said if you're approached by a person claiming to be a staff member from a Board of Elections, immediately ask to see identification. If the person refuses or is otherwise suspicious, the State Board of Election is asking voters to collect as much information as possible without providing any personal information and contact the police.
Criminal impersonation in the second degree is a class A misdemeanor in New York State.
State Board of Elections officials say they're working closely with the counties to track and monitor any additional complaints.
