Bill de Blasio’s Suggestions for N.Y. Election Reforms

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Bill Lucia By Bill Lucia,
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By Bill Lucia

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Election Day in the New York City was marked by lengthy waits and malfunctioning ballot scanners.

With long lines and faulty equipment creating difficulties at New York City polling sites Tuesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio over social media voiced his support for state-level voting reforms.

Some New Yorkers endured hours-long waits to vote and there were problems in the city with malfunctioning ballot scanners, according to numerous media reports. The mayor indicated via Twitter he was aware of the situation. “I’ve seen your tweets about long lines and broken scanners,” read a tweet from de Blasio’s official account on Tuesday afternoon.

In subsequent tweets, the mayor offered suggestions for voting reforms in New York state. Among Hizzoner’s ideas: Offering early voting like 37 other states and the District of Columbia, using electronic poll books to check in voters, and making it easier to cast an absentee ballot.

There were about 4.4 million active, registered voters in New York City, as of Nov. 1, according to figures from the New York State Board of Elections.

The ballot scanning equipment New York City has relied on since 2010 is the Elections Systems & Software Inc. DS200, according to the city’s Board of Elections. The DS200 is used by other jurisdictions throughout New York state and around the U.S.

New Yorkers encountering difficulties or barriers voting have the option to report them through an online complaint form provided by New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer’s Office.

During New York’s presidential primary in April, about 125,000 voters in Brooklyn were wiped from the rolls. The comptroller followed up by launching an audit of the city’s Board of Elections.

Stringer could be appearing on a ballot himself in next year. He’s seen as a potential challenger to de Blasio’s re-election in 2017.

Bill Lucia is a reporter for Government Executive’s Route Fifty and is based in Washington, D.C.

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