This week, county Boards of Elections have been warning about individuals going door-to-door impersonating Board of Elections officials and accusing voters of committing a crime because of how their name appears in the statewide voter database.

Kathleen McGrath, director of public information at the New York State Board of Elections, told Capital Tonight that none of the voters that were approached committed a crime and had no demographic or political connections, the only thing in common was that they had moved.

McGrath explains that when a voter moves from one county to another, the respective counties contact each other to update the voter’s registration. For example, if John Doe moves from County A to County B, County B becomes the voter’s current registration and the County A record is purged. While the purged record and the active record may appear on the database.

If someone comes to your door claiming to be a Board of Elections worker, McGrath says to ask for identification, as a BoE worker will show it. Other tips that McGrath shared were to not give out your information, ask for as much information from them and call the Board of Elections and/or local law enforcement. McGrath says to “trust your gut” if the situation does not seem right.