As candidates try to get voters to go to the ballot box on their behalf this fall, one person running for state attorney general is facing questions about why she did not cast her vote for more than a dozen years.

Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice was on the defensive Tuesday morning at a debate among the five Democratic candidates for attorney general.

Newsday reported over the weekend that Rice did not vote for the better part of two decades, casting a ballot in just eight of the 26 elections she was eligible to vote in since registering as a Republican in 1984.

During the debate, Rice acknowledged the missed votes, calling them a mistake, and said she's even encouraged students not to make the same errors she has.

"It was a mistake, and I readily admit that,” said Rice. “And I spend a lot of my time now speaking to young people and encouraging them not to make the same mistake I did."

A Rice spokesman later added that, until now, the candidate actually never brought up her own personal voting story in those speeches. Although it was the mistake of not voting that has encouraged her to speak to students about the importance of heading to the polls.

Since 2002, Rice has voted every year, and in 2005, she became a Democrat, the year she won the district attorney's race.

Others in the race also have holes in their voting history, including Sean Coffey, who Newsday says voted in only in 15 of the 26 years since he registered to vote in Nassau County in 1984.

But with the biggest gap, Rice's opponents are seizing on her history.

"A lot of voters don't vote, so maybe she's got common ground with those folks. But I think this whole election is going to be about who's the best chance for change. And that's what we ought to be focusing on," Coffey said.

"The fact that she didn't participate in the process is something people can take into account,” said attorney general candidate Eric Schneiderman. “It says something about her. But it’s just a factor. I mean, look, it’s a legitimate question when it’s the year 2000 and you’re living in a ‘swing state,’ you couldn’t get it together to vote for Al Gore against George Bush. This is a Democratic primary."

"It also may say that it's the kind of thing that you're probably better off telling people about before you make the case that you're a committed political leader. But that's second guessing history," said attorney general candidate Richard Brodsky.

The debate also touched on Wall Street -- in particular a bill in the state Legislature sponsored by Senator Eric Schneiderman and Assemblyman Richard Brodsky. Both say the measure would empower victims of financial scams.

Business leaders, however, say they fear it will trigger more class action lawsuits by investors.

"Public companies would simply not want to be here, or have connections here. So this is a very serious issue for business," said Kathryn Wylde of the Partnership for New York City.

Attorney general candidates Sean Coffey and Eric Dinallo also voiced opposition to the bill.

"It would cause the courts to start to dilute the most powerful anti-fraud statue in the country," Dinallo said.

Rice did not take a position.