Attorney General Gansler Warns Against Fraudulent Campaign Material

BALTIMORE, MD ( September 5, 2010) - Statement by Attorney General Doug Gansler:

“Unfortunately, in past elections we have seen deceitful campaign behavior, and we have already seen it this election cycle, where brochures have misused the good names and images of State and local leaders to imply that they have endorsed candidates when they did not. In addition, there have been materials purporting to be ‘Official Ballots’ or ‘Official Voter Guides’ when, in fact, they were nothing of the sort. In a democracy, we expect a vigorous debate between candidates with opposing viewpoints. We even expect that one candidate may feel his or her stance on the issues has been misrepresented or mischaracterized. But tactics involving communications designed to dissuade and mislead voters and to suppress votes are wrong. We will not tolerate them. We will look into complaints about these types of deceptive practices and will take appropriate action.”

Under Maryland’s election law, it is illegal to willfully and knowingly influence or attempt to influence a voter’s decision through the use of fraud. (EL § 16-201(a)(6).)

Anyone who has information concerning suspected fraudulent campaign materials is asked to contact the Attorney General’s Office, either by calling the Attorney General’s Voter Hotline at 1-866-298-8245 or filing a complaint by email at voting@oag.state.md.us.