Officials said the new plates, dubbed Empire Bold, would help safeguard the streets, as well as the state’s pocketbook. “Not every plate is worn down, but many of them are after years of usage,” said Matt Anderson, a spokesman for the governor’s budget office. “If a cop sees old plates, they know the person hasn’t reregistered and also that they don’t have new auto insurance.”

Image The new, highly reflective plates will be made at a men's prison upstate. Credit... Department of Motor Vehicles

But some officials in upstate New York, which lacks the mass transit options of New York City, say they are being forced to shoulder a disproportionate share of the state’s money problems.

“It was the last straw, to be honest with you,” said Patricia Ritchie, president of the New York State Association of County Clerks and the founder of NoNewPlates.com, a Web site that she says has attracted 56,000 visitors in less than a month.

Ms. Ritchie, who administers license plates in St. Lawrence County, said upstate residents had no choice about owning cars, unlike their downstate counterparts. “We need cars to get to schools, doctor’s appointments, grocery stores,” she said. “There’s no other way to get around. A car is our livelihood.”

The outcry has wound its way to Albany, where a state senator from Poughkeepsie, Stephen M. Saland, started his own online petition, complete with an image of a plate created by Photoshop that reads “A FIASCO.” He declined to comment on Tuesday.

Last week, Gov. David A. Paterson acknowledged the anger over the issue in a radio interview, but pointed out that the state “needed the revenues.” He said that, like other parts of the budget, he would be willing to entertain alternatives as long as the state made up its deficit.