Democrats suggest Jeb Bush's Hispanic voter registration mishap was 'a 3rd degree felony'

Democrats quickly pounced on former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's (R) voter registration snafu by telling the likely presidential candidate, "You should call your lawyers."

On Monday, The New York Times reported that Bush incorrectly listed himself as Hispanic on his 2009 voter registration form. Bush's team laughed off the issue, however, and attributed it to an unidentified mistake.

"It's unclear where the paperwork error was made. The Governor's family certainly got a good laugh out of it. He is not Hispanic," Bush spokeswoman Kristy Campbell told Business Insider. 

Bush and his half-Hispanic son, Jeb Bush Jr., also joked about the mishap on Twitter:

But the Florida Democratic Party apparently thinks it's no laughing matter. The party posted a message on Twitter highlighting Bush's error and calling attention to the registration's warning that it is "a 3rd degree felony to submit false information" on the form, and "maximum penalties are $5,000 and/or 5 years in prison."

It doesn't seem probable that Bush would truly face legal repercussions for the registration error, as the criminal penalty is likely designed to combat voter fraud, not people listing their own ethnicity incorrectly. Also, as Campbell pointed out, "It's unclear where the paperwork error was made." 

Campbell did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Florida Democratic Party's allegation.

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