Nassau County, NY – Officials in Nassau County are seeking explanations from the Board of Elections after mailers were mistakenly sent to voters indicating they were registered as members of the Democratic Party, despite their actual affiliation as Republicans or members of other parties.
The impact of this error was substantial, affecting over 500,000 registered voters, which accounts for more than half of the county’s total voter population. Democratic voters received accurate notifications regarding their party enrollment.
The Nassau County Board of Elections, along with the county executive and attorney, are currently conducting investigations to determine the cause of this oversight. However, they unanimously agree that the mistake originated from the printing company responsible for producing the mailers.
County Executive Bruce Blakeman voiced his concern and reassured the public that steps are being taken to rectify the situation. “I want to let the public know that we are aware of this circumstance and that we have been assured that this situation is going to be resolved,” Blakeman stated. As a Republican himself, Blakeman has been inundated with calls from upset Republican and Conservative voters questioning the change in their party registration.
Blakeman firmly believes that the error was the result of negligence by the mailing house vendor, Phoenix Graphics, located in Rochester. “That’s neglect, a company that’s sending out an important document like that? That’s not good,” expressed a concerned Mineola resident, Amura Dillon.
Blakeman, however, dismissed any notions of a conspiracy involving the Democratic Party, stating, “I don’t believe the Democratic Party is engaged in a conspiracy to create havoc in their own primaries.”
The incident occurred just a month before the upcoming primaries, leaving Nassau County residents anxious for a swift resolution. Jim Scheuerman, Nassau County Democratic Elections Commissioner, confirmed that they are aware of the issue and are in the process of reissuing corrected cards to affected voters as of Tuesday.
“This was a printing error on the part of the vendor,” Scheuerman clarified. “The cards are being reissued today with an apology from the vendor and the correct Party information. All voter information is accurate in our system; this is purely a vendor error that is quickly being rectified.”
The Board of Elections estimates that fixing this mistake will incur costs of approximately $300,000. Phoenix Graphics, the responsible printing company, released a statement accepting full responsibility for the incident. “Phoenix Graphics Inc. made a human error on Voter Information Cards for Nassau County. The voters’ party affiliation may have been incorrect on the first mailing; however, polling site information is correct. We take responsibility for that. As soon as it was discovered, we moved immediately to remedy the situation. This is an isolated event, but we apologize for our mistake, especially to Nassau County officials, who bear no responsibility for this problem. We have fixed the error and, at no cost to taxpayers, will deliver corrected Voter Information Cards as soon as possible.”
