November 08, 2016

Urban Outfitters gets called out for misinformation in voter guide

By Michael Tanenbaum
PhillyVoice Staff

Philadelphia-based apparel maker Urban Outfitters has retracted an erroneous guide for voters after it was discovered it contained misinformation about the documentation required to cast a ballot, according to the independent nonprofit ProPublica.

On Monday, Urban Outfitters' Twitter account posted the following (since deleted) tweet with a link to their guide. The company has 1.07 million followers.

Source/ProPublica

Screen shot of voter guide tweet from Urban Outfitters.

A review of the information in the guide turned up a glaring mistake. Citizens, it said, must present a voter registration card at the polls in order to vote. This is incorrect. While some states require a valid form of government-issued identification and others will accept a voter registration card, there is no requirement to bring proof of registration.

Urban Outfitters, a frequent source of controversy, corrected its guide "immediately" when confronted and apologized for the error in a tweet.

We’re deeply sorry about the error in the UO Blog’s voting guide. It's been corrected & now includes a link to state-by-state requirements.
— Urban Outfitters (@UrbanOutfitters) November 8, 2016