Cat receives voter registration forms

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) - A Virginia Beach cat received voter registration forms in the mail and Scampers is not the only pet caught up in politics this election cycle.

As WAVY.com reported Tuesday , a deceased Bedford County dog also received the registration forms from the same group, the Voter Participation Center , a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C..

A VPC spokesperson said the group mails out forms to encourage voting, but isn't responsible for what happens after the fact.

"It says 'Register to vote today!'" said Ursula Angeles, owner of Scampers the cat. "And, his name is pre-printed on there."

At first, Angeles thought it was a joke. She posted a picture of the form on her Facebook page. 

"Some said Republicat, some said Democat, and I thought, well he would have voted for Paw-lenty if he would have stayed in the race," joked Angeles.

All laughing aside, Scampers has received other mail before, including a credit card application last year. Angeles wonders how it's possible.

"It makes me think that someone might be using a fake identity and using pets, because they already had something about using babies," said Angeles.

10 On Your Side called the Voter Participation Center, the organization that sent Scampers the form. A spokesperson says the group buys the names on its mailing lists from commercial databases, meaning at some point Angeles must have signed Scampers up for something.

"I just wondered if anyone else's pets received mailings," said Angeles.

The VPC said others have. In fact, the group made this video to speak out against its critics.

"Uh oh, big mistake!" said a dog in the video. "Someone sent the cat a voter registration form."

The VPC spokesperson said the group relies on local election officials to scan applications for fraud. In a written statement, the president of the VPC says stories like Scampers distract from the real problem of low voter turnout.

"What is a real concern is that a simple piece of mail – an understandable mistake – has gotten so much attention and created a bogus 'crisis' in this toxic atmosphere designed to discourage citizens from registering and voting to make our democracy stronger and healthier," wrote Page Gardner, President of the Voter Participation Center.

But, if you ask Angeles, it's just the opposite.

"I thought about making a little t-shirt,  just to encourage people to vote," she said. "He could be a spokescat."

The State Board of Elections has received similar complaints about the Voter Participation Center, but the board can not stop a private organization from sending voter registration forms, unless there is evidence of fraud.