BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz says the late night robocalls some voters may have received are not from him or his campaign.
Poloncarz tweeted early Friday afternoon that his campaign has received reports of voters receiving calls around 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. asking if they like the job he is doing as if it's a poll.
The Poloncarz campaign released this statement Friday afternoon in response to those reports:
I have received numerous reports about phone calls made late last night and in the early morning hours, supposedly done on behalf of the Mark Poloncarz for Erie County campaign. For the record, the Poloncarz for Erie County Campaign did not send those calls and would never use those tactics against an opponent.
These dirty campaign tactics are reprehensible. For so many of us a late-night call brings panic and fear about the health of a loved one. Be it a child away at college or an aging parent, a call in the middle of the night signifies an emergency. The people I spoke with today are furious and want answers.
To be clear: the Poloncarz for Erie County Executive Campaign is not and would never make phone calls during overnight hours. This is a well-documented trick used to annoy people and turn supporters away, and it comes from a desperate place. Whoever is behind this dirty trick should think of the panic they are causing.
Voters have indicated the call came from 716-235-1027, which appears to be an anonymous Google Voice number. While we work to track down the source of these calls, we encourage anyone who received the call to contact our Campaign Headquarters at 716-204-8006.
The Lynne Dixon campaign says:
"The Dixon campaign did not conduct any robocalls in the morning hours and does not conduct any robocalls at night or morning."
