Even as voter turnout in the Nov. 4 presidential election is expected to reach record levels, fear -- fed by rumor, innuendo and misinformation -- is running high that droves of eligible voters in Michigan and other battleground states could be turned away or tricked into not voting.
Suggestions of a massive Republican-led effort to suppress the Democratic vote -- mainly in urban areas of battleground states -- are rampant on liberal talk radio, the Internet and the streets of Detroit, Flint, Saginaw and Benton Harbor.
The Michigan Department of Civil Rights, which has been inundated with complaints and questions, will roll out a massive advertising campaign starting today and running until Election Day to inform voters of their rights and to try to dispel misinformation.
Among the myths on the streets: Voters will be turned away or ballots tossed out if they wear T-shirts supporting a candidate, have been convicted of a felony, foreclosed on their house, filed bankruptcy, owe child support, don't have valid photo identification, or have outstanding warrants or unpaid parking tickets.
None of these are true.
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