A few weeks before the September New York primary, I received an official-looking envelope in the mail marked: “Voter Information DO NOT DESTROY Ballot Enclosed.” Printed within the transparent addressee window was: “Voter Ballot Representing New York, New York Ballot Issued To: John Solomon”
But inside, instead of official voter information, was a fundraising solicitation from Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) on behalf of the New Republican Majority Fund: “By casting your U.S. Voter Ballot today,” Lott wrote, “you will give my fellow Republicans in Congress and Senate candidates across America the indisputable evidence they need to refute liberals who claim you support the Senate Democrats’ Big Government Agenda.”
During an election season, the piece was clearly meant to appear to be legitimate government information. This misleading look-alike envelope is becoming an increasingly familiar trick of direct mailers. It is time that practice be ended.
The Republicans are not the only party using the mail to mislead the public. During the 2000 campaign, I received a self-mailer from something called the Democratic National Committee’s “Department of Voter Records,” warning in block letters: DO NOT TAMPER IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS ENCLOSED. IMPORTANT: Please use this form to update your voter information for the Democratic Party.” Only after I opened it up, did I see the disclaimer in small print: “This is not a voter registration form.”
For direct mail solicitors, getting recipients to open the envelope is half the battle. Deceiving them into thinking the contents are from the government are a clever — if invidious — way to accomplish that goal.
One of the most misleading — and effective — direct mail envelopes I ever received was stamped: “Jury Duty Notice.” The return address box read: “Official Business. Penalty for unlawful use. U.S. Code Title 18, Sec. 1702.” I got angry as I had just served jury duty. I got even angrier when I saw it was actually a solicitation from the Coalition of Politically Active Christians (COPAC) asking if I wanted to serve on a “jury of citizens” in the case “of the people of the United States v. Bill and Hillary Clinton.”
This deceptive approach must work as some private businesses are also using it. I just received an envelope with an official looking “Solomon. New York State Resident” in the window. It turned out to be a subscription pitch for Reader’s Digest.
Obviously, the political parties should not be in the business of subverting the electoral process and should voluntarily stop mimicking official documents. For others, federal and state legislators should consider either banning these letters or at the least mandating a clear and conspicuous disclaimer.
These pitches only make it less likely that citizens will open real government documents. And with an expected two-thirds of Americans not planning on voting this year, sending out anything that will cast doubt on the credibility of electoral materials is irresponsible. It’s time to stamp out look-alike direct mail.
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