Voters in New York report problems at polling locations

Voters in New York reported a number of problems at polling locations during the state’s primary on Thursday.

Some voters found themselves no longer on voter rolls, while others said they weren’t able to vote after their party affiliation had been switched without their knowledge.

New York was holding primaries for governor and attorney general on Thursday, with polls set to close at 9:00 p.m.

Among those affected was Huffington Post editor-in-chief Lydia Polgreen who said in a tweet that her name had not been on voter rolls.

Meanwhile, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s son, Dante de Blasio, was also among those who found themselves not on the rolls, the mayor said.

Happened to me too. https://t.co/fUWOJ31FJo

— Lydia Polgreen (@lpolgreen) September 13, 2018

Mayor: “I heard from Dante…he had a voter card from the BOE…officials at his poll site couldn’t find his name.” He had to fill out an affidavit ballot. pic.twitter.com/xpBLzeR94h

— Eric Phillips (@EricFPhillips) September 13, 2018

If you’re voting in Port Washington, beware. They told me I wasn’t on the rolls and to do an affidavit. I called the board of elections and found out that, in fact, I’d been sent to the wrong table. The poll workers said they’d given out tons of affidavits. Someone fucked up.

— Stagger Lee Shot First (@elongreen) September 13, 2018 

Other voters on Thursday said they went to their polling locations to cast their votes, only to find out that they couldn’t because their party had been switched without their permission. 

someone in front of me was registered with the reform party after believing themselves a democrat https://t.co/H3OVmaFhUW

— Jaime Lutz (@jaime_lutz) September 13, 2018

So after years of being registered as a dirty dem, I get to the voting place today and am informed I am now registered as a member of the Reform Party. And that I can’t vote. WEIRD.

— Michael Ballaban (@Ballaban) September 13, 2018

I wasn’t able to vote today because my party had been mysteriously changed without my permission. I filled out an affidavit and hope my vote eventually counts but this is just a reminder that our voting systems are messed up no matter where you go.

— Kea Krause (@KeaMKrause) September 13, 2018

Up-and-coming Democratic star Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez retweeted a message from a Stony Brook professor saying some ballots for the attorney general race had been misprinted, which had caused confusion and led people to vote for more than one candidate in the race.

A snapshot of the ballot showed that the four candidates for attorney general had been split into two rows, creating confusion.

Ocasio-Cortez said her ballot did not look like the one the professor had posted, asking “Are New York ballots not standardized across the state?” 

My ballot looked nothing like this.

Are New York ballots not standardized across the state? https://t.co/9bZXZ7xGrj

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Ocasio2018) September 13, 2018

Cynthia Nixon, the former “Sex and the City” actress who is challenging Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D), urged voters to call a voter protection hotline if they weren’t on the rolls and were unsure what to do.

If you’re unsure what to do about not being on the voter rolls or need to sign an affidavit ballot, call our voter protection hotline before you cast your ballot at (646) 688-4124. We’ll look into the issue at your polling site and make sure you’re able to vote. #TeamCynthia

— Cynthia Nixon (@CynthiaNixon) September 13, 2018

New York City has historically had issues with voter rolls. The New York Attorney General’s office found in 2016 that the city’s board of elections had illegally taken about 200,000 names in 2014 and 2015 from voter rolls.