NYCLU Urges “Fix” To Voting Problems

The New York Civil Liberties Union endorses the recommendations of NYPIRG’s "Report from the Polls III," a report released today on problems faced by New York City voters during the last Presidential election. The report identifies Election Day problems caused by the inadequate training of poll workers and the failure of the Board of Elections to communicate adequately with individuals seeking information about their poll sites or their eligibility to vote. The solutions to these problems are straightforward and based on common sense.

According to NYCLU staff attorney Palyn Hung, "Many of the problems that voters face on Election Day would be eliminated if poll workers had the right information or would-be voters could contact the Board of Elections for answers to their questions. While the NYCLU and other organizations were able to address a handful of voters’ problems on Election Day 2004, the Board of Elections has the power to preserve far more New Yorkers’ votes by improving its website, phone line capacity, and poll worker training."

Among the recommendations in the NYPIRG report are that:

• The Board of Elections increase its efforts to ensure that voters are not improperly asked for identification at the polls. Under the federal Help America Vote Act, only people who registered to vote by mail after January 1, 2003 and have not voted in a federal election in New York State should be asked for identification. The NYPIRG report shows that many poll workers did not understand the law and improperly asked voters for identification.
• The Board of Elections Web site be improved. An NYCLU staff member sent an email via the BOE Web site on Election Day — November 2, 2004 — asking where her poll site was. A response received on February 28, 2005 stated that this information would be sent in the next few weeks via U.S. mail. It never was.
• The Board of Elections improve its Election Day phone line capacity. Too many voters were unable to reach BOE staff with their questions or concerns.
• The Board of Elections improve training and recruiting of poll workers. Too many poll workers misdirect voters on Election Day, causing confusion and, in some cases, disenfranchisement.

City voters need the commitment of the Board of Elections and the Mayor’s Office to implement these solutions. This fall, there will be a primary and possibly a run-off election in New York City. The NYCLU urges the city Board of Elections and the Mayor’s Office to adopt the recommendations in NYPIRG’s report in time for these important elections.