Reports Of False Text Messages Crop Up In Several States

***SEE UPDATE BELOW***

This could be a cheap (if elaborate) hoax, but bloggers in multiple states are posting cell phone photos of text messages urging Obama supporters to vote on Wednesday, November 5.

First reports of the false text message came from writers in Arizona and Texas. Meanwhile, the Huffington Post received another image from a source who said he received a similar text message in Illinois. [UPDATE: Another reader in Georgia chimes in with an indentical claim.]

The new image, courtesy of St. Louis software engineer Matt Gatten, shows a phone featuring a message that reads: "Due to the long lines today, all Obama voters are asked to vote on Wednesday. Thank you! Please forward to everyone!"

Gatten said he was a "little bit mad" when he received the message. "I did a reverse look up on the number that sent it, and it came from San Antonio, Texas," Gatten told the Huffington Post. "It made me mad. They're stealing votes that way. It's like spam: if it didn't work, people wouldn't be doing it."

Of course, it's hard to believe that a large number of voters could be fooled by such a ruse. Sorting out voters by candidate would quite obviously destroy the notion of a secret ballot. But if the tactic is as widespread as it seems, it might suggest that operatives are using every last trick at their disposal -- with only a few hours left before this election is in the books for good.

UPDATE: A student at the University of Florida says the fraudulent text-message campaign has become so widespread that a campus-wide advisory has been emailed out:

Dear Students,

A number of University of Florida students have reported receiving a text
message today claiming that voting has been extended until Wednesday. This
message is NOT legitimate and it should be ignored. Voting concludes today
-- Tuesday, Nov. 4 -- and polls close at 7 p.m.

If you have any questions, please call the Alachua County Supervisor of
Elections office at 352-374-[redacted].

Patricia Telles-Irvin
Vice President for Student Affairs

Comments

[deusXmchna]

Politics aside, it costs many people $$ to receive txt messages (or even incoming phone calls) on cell phones. This could fall under the same law as the unrequested advertisements sent to fax machines (kind of an outdated law now. using a fax - send or receive, used to be an added surcharge on phone bills from some companies. something that was a shock to early AOLers who paid a minimal fee for AOL, but then received hefty surcharges from their phone companies who were charging for data transmission, as if it were faxes being sent for the time the user was online)

[munki]

I love to share an email I got from the local GOP... but...
it is long...

[Jenababy]

My husband got the same message on his palm pilot, we live in Northern CA. he traced it thru Cave City, Arkansas, and then to Mississippi.

[Retro646]

Received one from a 423 area code in TN..
Picture below with my response..:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y37/Codename646/Lies.jpg

[BMS]

EXCELLENT response! I know a Bridge to Nowhere they could all jump off of.................

[AmbivalentGuy]

I wasn't gonna log in (see what those damn Reps have done to my gerunds?) -
too much going on - who's listening?

but ROFLMAO - love y'r text.

[DRiddick]

My daughter got one in Minnesota. She was furious and reported it, but there are folks who might be swayed by it when they saw really long lines when pulling up to a poll location.

[GetOverItAlready]

Jeez Louise...People it is just a stupid text message. How in the world is that grounds for treason or being tried as a traitor? How is it interfering with casting a vote? If anything, the only thing that has been interfering with the voting process is celebrities who won't shut the hell up about who they are voting for and shoving it down our throats!! Yeah yeah I know...it is freedom of speech, but the last time I checked, so is texting. Get over it! It is a joke! If you people are too stupid to realize that, then you shouldn't be voting. Get a sense of humor people. If it was the other way around and it was about McCain, all of you pissed off people would be laughing. Don't be so damn sensitive, its a waste of time!!

[Tropiholic]

you sound quite hysterical getoverit, awww

[9liberal]

yeah i got one from someone that knows i'm a strong supporter of obama. he knew i knew this was crap, but if he sent it to others, who knows what they would think.
i guess the republicans hate america and democracy!

[BMS]

I live in NC, and I have been canvassing for the Obama campaign for days. Today, while canvassing in Durham, NC, we learned from one person whose door we knocked on that they had received a flyer on their door earlier this week stating the same crap - that due to "large turnout" Repigs were voting today, Nov. 4th, and that Democrats were supposed to vote tomorrow, Wed., Nov. 5th. The entire household who received the flyer voted for Obama this morning.

The slime who are perpetrating this fraud should rot in h#ll, in my opinion. It is a disgusting tactic and I wish they could be found and prosecuted for election tampering.

[Rebren]

Also, my text was from 509-939-4837 which is based out of Spokane. But the person who sent it to me lives in Mo. She also had the nerve to reply to my resposne by saying, "this is a democracy, we're all entitled to our opinions". Big difference between and opinion and trying to trick people out of their votes. Talk about unamerican! Harumph!

Abd here's the website you can send texts from for free and without listing your number: http://www.itextfree.com/

[deusXmchna]

Can you post a picture of the text message, or preferably the entire exchange? So that the number it was sent from can be verified, so that action may be taken against them.

[DJ01]

Unamerican? How about voting a man into office that hates our American Flag and hates our national Anthem Obama and his wife have attended several flag burnings! And has said that if voted in as President will change our national anthem to we are the world!! NOW THAT"S UNAMERICAN!

[Rebren]

I received one of these texts at 5:00 AM. It woke me up and pissed me off, that's for sure. Thing is, it was sent by a person who knows me. Pretty stupid maneuver. I gave out her number to everyone I know along with a website that will let you send text messages to a cell phone without revealing your number. Let's just say that she's probably had her service disconnected by now. One response a friend sent to her said, "Due to long lines of Obama voters at the polls, McCain voters are being asked to stay home and cry". Good one. But yeah, a disgusting and dirty trick. I'm looking into where I can report her.

[linzy]

These people must be held accountable and prosecuted NOW! What they have done is despicable and to my way of thinking nearly an act of treason. They have tried to take over the voting rights of individual citizens based on class, perhaps race, and political affiliation. Patrick Henry is no doubt rolling in his grave, as are several other "founding fathers."

[bdl0715]

Can these people be criminally prosecuted? Has the FBI or local authorities been notified in Joliet, IL?

[Grunty1]

Yes they can be. Tampering with the vote is a criminal offense.

[prog]

My husband got the fraudulent message this morning. We are in Colorado.

They're not elephants; They're swine.

[Grunty1]

Now that is insulting to pigs.

Even dung beetles are above the present GOP.

[AmbivalentGuy]

Dung beetles serve a purpose.

[Northwest02]

Someone has initiated an intelligence test into the voting process. I think their aim is to say, "If you are stupid enough to believe this text message, you're to dumb to vote".

[highsticking99]

And you're too dumb to realize the proper spelling is 'too', not 'to'.

[bdl0715]

The # these came from should be published. Let us all have that # so we can inundate them with calls and texts.