Pols Urge Elections Bd. To Act
Public Advocate Bill de Blasio called on the New York City Board of Elections (BOE) to fix mistakes that he and other elected officials fear will send voters to the wrong poll sites in the November general election as well as today’s (Thursday, Sept. 13) primary.
Mailers sent to voters in at least four Queens Assembly districts after redistricting earlier this year listed the wrong poll site, according to the complaints received by de Blasio and local officials. Some voters have received corrections and others have not, resulting in widespread confusion.
De Blasio and elected officials across Queens sent a letter to the Board of Elections urging immediate steps to fix the mailing errors and prevent further voter confusion.
“If we can’t even get people to the right poll site to vote, we are really up the creek. The Board of Elections has to make this right-fast.” said de Blasio.
State Sen. Jose Peralta, City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley and Assembly Members Grace Meng, Michael Miller, David Weprin, Ed Braunstein, Aravella Simotas and Phil Goldfeder cosigned the letter. Their recommendations included:
– placing poll workers at all voting sites in Queens that have been made aware of these errors, and who have a list of all voters who received the wrong poll site in the mail so they can be efficiently given their correct info;
– providing a speedy and streamlined affidavit voting process and extra affidavit ballots for elderly or disabled voters for whom travelling to alternate poll sites will be a hardship; and
– having the Board of Elections make sure to send correct poll site information to all voters before the general election in November.
“Government should be providing ways to encourage people to vote, but by assigning the wrong poll sites, the BOE is making the process confusing and difficult, which could lead to voters staying home,” Crowley said.
“Instead of promoting turnout and doing all it can to get more people to the polls, the Board of Elections seems to try to find ways to alienate and disenfranchise voters,” Peralta said. “You’d expect vote miscounts and poll site confusion in some newly formed democracy in a country that hasn’t held a legitimate election in 40 years. This is as frustrating as it is embarrassing.”
The public advocate stated that he will continue to work with his colleagues in Queens to ensure the Board of Elections has fixed these problems come the general election, which will be on Tuesday, Nov. 6.
