No 'I Voted' stickers at most Long Island polling places
A man wears a "I Voted" sticker on his hat during primary election voting in New York on Sept. 13. Credit: JUSTIN LANE/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutters/JUSTIN LANE/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock
Long Islanders hoping for an “I Voted” sticker after casting their ballots Tuesday will be mostly disappointed, officials said.
Officials from the Nassau and Suffolk County boards of elections said they did not purchase stickers this year, citing budget constraints.
Voters in Huntington on Tuesday instead were offered M&Ms as a consolation prize.
“If a nonprofit wants to give the board stickers I will help distribute them, but we’re not about to spend $20,000 in taxpayer money to distribute adhesive participation trophies,” said Nick LaLota, Suffolk County’s Republican elections commissioner.
A Nassau County BOE employee said stickers won’t be available at most polling locations, though some may have old stickers they can pass out to voters. Stickers will also be available to residents who vote at BOE headquarters in Mineola or who visit the BOE after casting their vote.
The election-day stickers have become a popular accessory nationwide and are typically given out to New York City voters. They've been less common in Nassau and Suffolk in recent years, and Long Islanders have griped about it in the past.
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