Election officials in Nassau and Suffolk say Tuesday’s presidential primary brought out a record number of voters whose ballots may end up discarded — either because they were not registered to vote or not listed as belonging to either of the political parties holding contests.
Officials say nearly 14,000 cast votes were considered questionable. These are affidavit ballots in which the voters swear they are qualified to vote. Election records are later checked in Mineola and Yaphank to determine if the voter was in fact qualified.
Cathy Richter Geier, Suffolk's Republican commissioner, said, “It’s very confusing for the voter when they hear hear things on TV about other states and think they are entitled in any primary.”
“We had people come and say they they were Democrats because they always vote for Democrats,” said William Biamonte, Nassau's Democratic Elections commissioner. Officials say prolonged delays in an Elmont polling place resulted in part from large numbers casting affidavit ballots.
In this state, only those enrolled in a party can vote in that party’s primary. Officials do not know voters’ election histories since the ballots themselves are secret. More than a quarter of registered voters do not list a party affiliation, and they cannot vote in primaries.
In Nassau, officials said, 3,880 affidavit ballots were cast compared with 543 in 2004. In Suffolk, the number exceeded 10,000 this year. While Suffolk had no past comparison, Anita Katz, Democratic commissioner, called the number “just astronomical” — and surely a record.
Rick Brand