Council to hold hearing on Board of Elections bungling
July 12th, 2012
While at least one member of the Board of Election wants an apology for the criticism they and their staff faced for their handling of the results of the recent Democratic Congressional primary between U.S. Rep. Charlie Rangel and state Sen. Adriano Espaillat, the board is still facing major scrutiny from elected officials.
Council Speaker Christine Quinn announced today that Councilwoman Gale Brewer, chair of the Governmental Operations Committee, will be holding a hearing on the BOE on August 8 to examine how to prevent future delays and mishaps.
The Board of Elections inability to accurately tally and report the results of last months Congressional primary in a timely manner threatens the credibility of the democratic process,” Quinn said in a statement. “The problems that came to light on election night raise serious concerns about the integrity of our citys elections that must be addressed. New Yorkers must be able to trust that when they cast a valid ballot, their vote will be counted accurately.”
Brewer, who has been pushing a bill by Assemblyman Brian Kavanagh that would allow the board to tally votes on election night with electronic data taken from voting machines rather than by hand, is anxious to see issues at the BOE addressed.
As anyone who has read a newspaper editorial over the past few weeks is well aware, the June 26 primary was rife with allegations of mistakes and improprieties,” she said in a statement. “I take very seriously any and all claims of malfeasance and voter disenfranchisement.”
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