(Image Source: KNXV)

BY ADAM FALK
ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN

Just a day before a recall election between current Senator Russell Pearce and challenger Jerry Lewis, some Mesa, Arizona voters are claiming ‘voter deception.’ This comes after some received a robocall instructing them to protest the election. Here’s KNXV with the call.

"Voters beware. If you plan to vote this Tuesday, you should know that both candidates for State Senator, Russell Pearce and Jerry Lewis, are Republicans. The only other candidate, Olivia Cortez was forced to withdraw last month. You can protest this one-sided election by writing in your own candidate."

Since the robocaller had a Spanish accent and mentioned Olivia Cortes, some say the robocall was targeted at Latino voters in Mesa’s 18th district.

REPORTER: “The message seems to try to split Latino voters’ loyalty. Do they vote for the man who opposes Pearce, Jerry Lewis, or try and write in a candidate of their own? And if that happens does it hurt Lewis’ chances to win."
GLORIA CHAVEZ: “You’re purposefully trying to mislead voters, and that should be illegal.” (KNXV)

The person behind the robocall, Ron Ludders. Although he claims the message was purely informational, critics were quick to point out, Ludders is a Pearce supporter. The Phoenix New Times says...

“Riiight. Maybe that's why the robocall fails to "inform" voters that Olivia Cortes was herself a Republican, as well as a sham candidate placed on the ballot by Tea Party members in order to assist their wingnutty God, Russell Pearce.”

The Los Angeles Times provides some background on Pearce, who was already a controversial choice for Latino voters due to his strong stance on immigration.  

“He wrote the more recent controversial Senate Bill 1070, which forces police to investigate the immigration status of people they have lawfully detained. It is being challenged by the Obama administration.”

The Pearce campaign says they didn’t know about nor did they approve the robocall. The message is currently under investigation, and if it is found to have deceived voters, the Arizona Attorney General will take on the issue.

Transcript by Newsy.