Suffolk Dem, GOP leaders warn of phony election officials confronting voters

The Democratic and Republican party leaders in Suffolk County issued an alert Tuesday following reports of people impersonating election officials who are going door-to-door to confront and question voters.

“The individuals employing these tactics are neither employees nor representatives of the state or local boards of elections and are, in fact, committing a crime by representing themselves as such,” said county Republican chairman Jesse Garcia and Democratic chairman Rich Schaffer. “We find any acts of voter suppression to be intolerable.”

The impostors who operated in Suffolk County are “appearing at homes to confront residents about their voter registration status and voting history,” the Suffolk County party leaders said. “These individuals are claiming to be representatives of the local Board of Elections, the government agencies responsible for maintaining voter registration data and executing elections throughout our state.”

There was no immediate comment from the Nassau County Board of Elections.

The state Board of Elections hasn’t received a report from Nassau County and all reports from counties have been turned over to law enforcement, said state board spokeswoman Kathleen McGrath.

“There still does not appear to be a pattern in terms of party affiliation,” McGrath said.

Garcia and Schaffer said they are issuing their alert to address a recent news story. On Sept. 1, Newsday reported incidents in Suffolk County and in Albany, Chautauqua, Jefferson, Onondaga, Ontario, Orange, Putnam, Saratoga, Schenectady, Steuben, Warren and Washington counties. Similar reports were made in Arizona, Colorado, Washington state and Georgia.

Those reports included intimidation and threats to voters claiming that they may have broken the law by improperly registering to vote.

Schaffer and Garcia urge anyone accosted by these impostors to:

• Demand identification to show if the person is a Suffolk elections official.
• Call the Suffolk County Board of Elections to confirm the identity at (631) 852-4500.
• Refuse to provide any personal information or answer any questions from people who refuse to provide identification.
• Contact local law enforcement immediately at 631-852-COPS or to the county District Attorney’s Office at (631) 852-4626.

“Whether you are a Democrat, a Republican, another party or a non-party affiliated voter, we stand with you to protect the integrity of our elections,” said Garcia and Schaffer.

By Michael Gormley

michael.gormley@newsday.com@GormleyAlbany

Michael Gormley has worked for Newsday since 2013, covering state government, politics and issues. He has covered Albany since 2001.