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People find 'voter-shaming' flyers in their mail prior to election day in Knoxville

People in West Knoxville are finding flyers in their mail grading them and their neighbors on elections they've voted in (and haven't) -- showing their percentages alongside their neighbors'.

In the Forest Glen neighborhood in Knoxville in West Knoxville, 'I Voted' signs are planted in the dirt as far as the eye can see.

"I got online, ordered these signs and I bought a box full," Maggie Carini said.

To encourage her neighbors to get out and vote, Maggie Carini asked if her neighbors would put the signs up in their yards if they voted.

"I've been knocking on doors and asking people point blank if they have voted," she said.

In a neighborhood where voting is obviously important, people say this gesture isn't a big deal.

"I really appreciate the get out and vote initiatives in our city," Chris Kleiser Zalesky said.

While the 'I Voted' signs weren't a big deal, the same neighborhood received flyers in the mail grading people and their neighbors on their voting turnout in previous elections.

"I know that how I vote is public, but I'm a little shocked they have taken the time to pass this around our neighborhood," Chris Kleiser Zalesky said.

The flyer that landed in residents mailboxes were a sort of report card, showing names of neighbors next to their own and the percentage elections they've voted in since they were eligible to vote. Higher percentages got a higher letter grade.

The flyers, while legal, have left people regardless of their political affiliation feeling like they're being shamed into voting.

The flyers in West Knoxville were sent by a Conservative Super Pac called CFG Action Tennessee.

Similar flyers have been sent out to other parts of Tennessee. According to the Nashville Tennessean, at least two other groups — a project within the state Democratic Party called 'Tennessee Victory 2018,' as well as the Republican-aligned Club for Growth — have distributed mail containing information about Tennesseans' voting records that have left recipients feeling uneasy.

Mark Brown, spokesman for Tennessee Victory 2018, said in a statement the letter is a standard tactic in social pressure marketing. Club for Growth echoed that sentiment, saying it's a 'common practice' used to get people to vote.

"This just feels weird to me," Chris Kleiser Zalesky said.

"I don't think we feel comfortable with people knowing that about our voting record," Maggie Carini said.

While Maggie Carini continues to encourage her neighbors, she wants to make it clear, she's not voter shaming anyone.

Election Day Guide | What you need to know to vote in the Nov. 6 elections

"I'm out there just to get everybody out there to vote and I really do feel that way," Maggie Carini said.

For those who want their name removed from that flyer list -- they are asked to call 1-888-988-1885.

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