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Penalties Set for Primary Election Robocalls

http://66.225.205.104/JR20081021.mp3

During the last week of April, thousands of North Carolina voters got this mysterious phone message: "Hello, this is Lamont Williams. In the next few days you will receive a voter registration packet in the mail. All you need to do is fill it out, sign it, date and return your application." Nothing in the message made clear who it was from - and that's against North Carolina law. Watchdog groups complained the calls could deter voters who might become confused if they were already registered to vote. The Washington-based nonprofit Women's Voices Women Vote turned out to be behind the calls. And they said they were only try to encourage voter registration. They've now agreed to pay 100-thousand dollars in civil penalties for violating the state's election law. Attorney General Roy Cooper says they're also barred from operating in the state before the November Election. For WFAE News, I'm Julie Rose.