Submitted by Nassau County Supervisor of Elections
With early voting beginning Wednesday, Aug. 10, an issue has been identified as confusing on the ballot could disqualify votes on some ballots, and local officials want to clear up the confusion.
Carla Voisard, state committeewoman for the Nassau County Democratic Executive Committee, spoke to the News-Leader about the ballots and the space for voting for a Democratic candidate for governor.
Only Democrat voters will vote for a gubernatorial candidate in the primary election. There are four candidates from which to choose that list – Charlie Crist, Cadance Daniel, Nikki Fried and Robert Willis.
The heading on the ballot for that race reads: Governor and Lieutenant Governor (Vote for 1). Underneath the four candidates are listed. However, Voisard said the concern is that, since both the offices of governor and lieutenant governor are on the heading, people will think “vote for one” means vote for one candidate for governor and one candidate for lieutenant governor. If voters mark two candidates, that vote is canceled out, and neither candidate receives a vote, potentially affecting the election.
Voisard wants people to understand that “vote for one” means just one candidate for governor, not one for governor and one for lieutenant governor. Data from the Nassau County Supervisor of Elections’ office shows there were 15,008 Democrats eligible to vote in the 2020 general election, so there are thousands of instances where a mistake on the ballot could change the results of a race.
Early Voting is available from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. through Aug. 20, including Saturday and Sunday. Election day is Aug. 23, and polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.