Who’s knocking on Florida voters’ doors? Pasco elections officials say it’s not them

Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley wants voters in his county to know that his office is not knocking on voters’ doors to verify voting information.

But somebody is.

Corley’s office released a statement Wednesday saying it had been “made aware” that people unaffiliated with the office have been knocking on registered voters’ doors throughout the county and trying to verify their information. The office said some of those people may be inquiring whether residents had voted in the 2020 general election.

Voter information is generally public record. It’s not uncommon for candidates and other third-party groups to canvass voters ahead of an election. Pasco does not have any upcoming elections this year, raising questions about whether the current door knockers may be similar to those described in reports from other states of partisan efforts to question the integrity of the 2020 election and undermine President Joe Biden’s win.

Corley said Wednesday that he thinks the people knocking on doors are searching for evidence of so-called “phantom ballots” amid persistent unsubstantiated claims of 2020 election fraud.

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and others have previously applauded Florida for its elections last year, with DeSantis calling the state a “model” for the nation. Meanwhile, federal officials have said there is no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 elections.

The Pasco elections office said in a statement that other counties are also reporting instances of people knocking on voters’ doors, and said another county’s elections office reported that a door-knocking individual “went to a voter’s home and misrepresented themselves” as being with that county or the county’s elections office.

A spokesperson with the Supervisor of Elections Office in neighboring Hillsborough County said she wasn’t aware of complaints about door-knockers seeking voting information.

Pinellas County isn’t fielding complaints either, said Dustin Chase, a spokesperson with the county’s elections office, although he said officials are aware of groups concerned about ineligible voters.

There have been reports in Seminole County of members of at least one third-party group knocking on registered voters’ doors, Supervisor Chris Anderson said.

Pasco County’s elections office asks voters to contact it at 1-800-851-8754 if any individual knocks on their door saying they are with the elections office.