A mistake listing every Nassau County registered voter as blue had many — especially Republicans — seeing red.
Many voters in the GOP-leaning Long Island county got their voter ID cards in the mail on Tuesday, and a half-million who got their cards saw a pretty glaring typo: All the cards say voters are registered Democrats, when in fact they might be Republican, independent or members of another political party.
And with the primary a month away, the mistake is sparking confusion. NBC
This mistake has raised concerns about election sabotage ahead of the upcoming primaries. Nearly a million voters in the county were affected, with many Republicans and independents surprised to see themselves labeled as Democrats on their cards.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Republican, emphasized the confusion and emotional upset caused by the error. While some voters question the integrity of the election process, Blakeman dismissed the notion of a conspiracy and stated that the county is investigating the matter.
A "printing error" in Nassau County, NY led to every voter in that county being listed as a Democrat.
— Kari Lake War Room (@KariLakeWarRoom) May 20, 2023
There's that word again. "Printer error."
This is just their blanket excuse for sabotaging elections and hoping nobody calls them on it.
https://t.co/NZmBEvBbEQ
As New York is a closed primary state, voters registered with a particular party may be barred from voting in other parties’ primaries if their registration is incorrectly labeled. Phoenix Graphics has apologized for the mistake and will issue new and accurate voter ID cards at no additional cost. This latest flub by the Rochester-based Phoenix Graphics comes two years after the company messed up absentee ballots for 100,000 Brooklynites shortly before the 2020 election, prompting outrage from voters concerned about whether their votes would count. The mistake extended into Nassau County as well, where nearly 800 people also received botched ballots.
The company will also bear the expense of approximately $300,000 to resend the correct cards. Nassau County’s Board of Elections is considering alternative vendors to prevent similar errors in the future.
“I don’t think the Democratic Party is engaged in a conspiracy to create havoc in their own primaries. I don’t think the Democratic Party wants a bunch of Republicans showing up to vote in their primaries,” said Blakeman, according to the New York Post.