VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Some voters in the city received text messages from a group called "Voting Futures" directing them where to vote, but the text message directs them to an early voting polling place and not their voting precinct on Election Day.
On Monday night,the city of Virginia Beach warned residents about the text messages, saying they are not from the Voter Registrar.
"We don't have any control over who's sending it, but it has been reported," Christine Lewis, the Voter Registrar told News 3 on Tuesday.
Voters later got a follow up text telling them the information "may not have been correct." Several of the voters were told to vote at the Seatack Rec Center, which is an early voting location, but not a polling place on Election Day, Lewis said. Other voters received similar messages from a group called "Black Voters Matter."
A group called Movement Labs took responsibility for the text messages in a statement posted online. The group said they were trying to tell people to vote early, but didn't specify that in the text messages.
"As a team of grassroots organizers committed to voter integrity and democratic values, we know that mistakes like this, when the stakes are high, have a true impact. We are humbled by this and will continue to work for democratic and progressive values," the statement reads.
Virginia Beach voter Larry Alexander got sent the text messages.
"I didn't know these people and then when I did take the time to call the phone number and when I called all I got was a busy signal and an indicator this can't be legit," he said. "The vote to right as well as the vote to be a citizen of this country shouldn't be taken lightly."
