Florida’s voter letter scam is officially a criminal matter.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has opened a criminal investigation in to the fraudulent letters because of “the gravity of the situation.”

“We don’t want to see any issue where people are getting these letters and thinking they can’t vore or there’s a reason they shouldn’t vote,” says Florida Department of Law Enforcement Spokesman Keith Kameg.

Kameg says because this case is now an active investigation he can’t disclose many of the details.  He did, however, tell me the FDLE is reaching out to other states to see if the scam spreads beyond state lines.

He says it’s too early to understand what kind of charges could be involved here.  Despite the fact that voters are not getting solicited for their information, Kameg says this is a serious problem that people need to be aware of.

“If someone’s trying to tell you you’re not allowed to vote, contact authorities immediately,” he says.

He’s unsure just how long this investigation could take, but says they are working well with other states so far.  That could prove significant, because these letters are postmarked from Seattle, Washington.

The letter appears to be from local Supervisors of Elections and tells voters their citizenship has been questioned.  It says if the person does not prove citizenship within 15 days by bringing documents to the local elections office, that voter could be kicked off the list- and face legal action if they then try to vote on Election Day.

The number of counties affected in Florida has grown exponentially over the past few days.  At last check today 28 counties reported the letter to the State Elections Office.  That’s up from 23 yesterday and just a few cases Monday.  About 20 Northeast Florida voters have reported the letter so far.