Long Island families are demanding answers after a batch of letters were sent out stating that their dead relatives had just registered to vote. The messages allegedly come from campaign offices, but elected officials say they get info from the state Board of Elections, which is disputing the claim. NBC New York’s Pei-Sze Cheng reports.
Families on Long Island are confused and angry after receiving letters saying their relative has registered to vote. The problem? All those supposed new voters are dead.
Erin Molyneux said he got one of the letters at his home in Port Washington in August. He was surprised and disturbed at the same time, because it congratulated his mother for registering to vote in New York’s 7th District.
“Normally that would be wonderful, but in this case, it was very disturbing to me because my mother never lived in New York and she died about 20 months ago,” Molyneux said at a press conference Friday.
His mother, Sang Harrison, didn’t live in New York and never attempted to register to vote in the state. She was only in New York for the last 10 days of her life before she died of cancer, Molyneux said.
“It baffles me how she could end up on any list as a registered voter given that she never resided here,” he said.
Harrison is not registered to vote in New York, according to James Scheuerman, the Democratic Commissioner of the Nassau County Board of Elections. He said he has heard from a dozen families who have received similar letters for deceased relatives.
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