nypirg nyc council election test.nypirg 12.5.12

7/30/2019 Nypirg NYC Council Election Test.nypirg 12.5.12

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Page 2 of 25 NYPIRG/NYC Council BOE Oversight: 12.5.12

Voter Registration, Voter Education, Election Day Operations & theAdministration of Elections: Our Election System is in Need of Serious Reform

New York State had a Voting Eligible Population (VEP) of 13,111,4691 in 2010, the lastyear final figures are available. VEP is highly accurate and only includes citizens over

18 who are not incarcerated for a felony or on felony parole. However, only 10,680,536New Yorkers were listed by the NYS BOE as Active Voters for the same time period.Thats means 2,430,933 eligible citizens were either not registered to vote or on inactivestatus2.

Only preliminary VEP is available for 2012. However, we do know that overallparticipation decreased in the city compared to four years ago. But registration andparticipation numbers have not dramatically changed since the last Presidential in 2008.In that year only 59.6% of the states VEP participated in the election3. Concurrently,40% of eligible citizens did not participate. That includes unregistered citizens, thosewho were unable to go to the polls and those who were so disengaged or turned off by

the political process that they chose not to participate. This is a serious problem inneed of serious solutions.

The problems New York faces on with our dismal voter participation rates dont end withfixing our dismal system for registering voters. This Election Day, too many of NewYorks beleaguered voters stood in line for hours and faced problems at the polls inorder to cast their ballots. These chronic problems at poll sites require strong andimmediate action from city, state and local governments, as well as from Boards ofElections.

While many board staff and poll workers worked tirelessly before and on Election Day,

the problems many voters faced are systemic. They were not caused by HurricaneSandy, the Governors Executive Order, redistricting or conducting New Yorks firstPresidential Election on optical scan, We need to focus on reforms to our voterregistration, voter education, Election Day operations and the administration of electionsor these same problems will occur over and over again.

To be fair, the media, and many in the public focus primarily on the troubles voters mayhave faced on Election Day. Its important to recognize that the majority of city votersdid not have any problems. Some lines are unavoidable in high turnout elections,dedicated poll workers show up and work18+ hour days and staff and voters coped withmany last minute changes to election sites and procedures.

1United States Election Project, 2010 General Election Turnout Rates:

http://elections.gmu.edu/Turnout_2010G.html2New York State Board of Elections, Enrollment by County: http://www.elections.ny.gov/EnrollmentCounty.html.

The report lists 1,126,208 Inactive voters, meaning there were 1,304,725 unregistered eligible voters in the state.

The two numbers together equaled the states total VEP of 13,111,469.3

United States Election Project, 2008 General Election Turnout Rates:

http://elections.gmu.edu/Turnout_2008G.html


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Failures at Multiple Levels Meant a Worse Voting Experience in New York City

Both the Board and Albany have failed to enact many significant internal and legislativereforms. That makes it easy to blame the Board of Elections for the problems that manyvoters faced on Election Day and to point a finger at Albany and decry their lack ofaction. Such finger pointing and Board bashing is a favorite position of MayorBloomberg for example. The reality is that the Mayor can and should be doing more to

improve voting conditions in the city than his public condemnations. The same holdstrue for Speaker Quinn and the Council.

We acknowledge that the city has made important contributions to the Board overrecent years and most recently in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, and the Council hasbegun to consider important legislative reform we address later in our testimony. Butthe sad fact is that the problems faced by city voters have been know for years. TheBoard, along with the Mayor and the Council all bear partial responsibility for not doing abetter job at both running elections and enfranchising the eligible electorate of New YorkCity.

Five Election Failures of the New York City Board of Electionsand MayorBloomberg and the Council

The Mayors opposition to giving time off to non-essential city workers to helpstaff the polls has meant worse poll site conditions across the city. Poorly trainedand under-performing poll workers cause a significant number of the problems faced byvoters on Election Day. Its clear the current system for recruiting poll workers needschange. For more than a decade, Mayor Bloomberg has refused to support or advancea city policy that would allow municipal employees time off on Primary Day to work thepolls (most already receive General Election Day off.) The next time voters are stuck ona non-moving line with a poll worker unable to efficiently do their job they should hold

the Mayor and Council accountable for failing to support or enact such a program. Weurge that current proposed Council legislation to start a municipal poll worker programbe strengthened and passed into law before next years election.

The BOEs administrative refusal to eliminate Voter Cards at sign in tables meant(& means) unnecessarily long lines and wait times for every voter. The archaicsystem of filling out a Voter Card for each voter is completely irrelevant now that wevemoved to optical scan. The cards used to serve as an informal audit of vote totals at anED, a function now basically obsolete with optical scan ballots that have numberedstubs to record how many ballots were distributed. Neither do the cards serve any anti-fraud purpose that couldnt be replaced with a system that doesnt require a handwritten

component. NYPIRG suggested the elimination of the Cards to the Boards Counsellast February to no avail. It is our understanding that no county outside of New YorkCity still uses the Voter Card system. This is not the only time the Boards legal advicehas been questionable at best. (Other instances have included opposition to theBoards new closedown procedures, delays in improving ballot design, participation inthe statewide voter registration database and their current opposition to some of theimportant reform bills in front of this committee.) The next time voters are stuck on anon-moving line with a poll worker unable to efficiently and quickly fill out those cards,they should blame the Board.


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Voters shouldnt get better service at a Starbucks than a poll site. Too manyproblems on Election Day are caused by poorly trained poll workers. The Board issimply not up to the job of providing enough well qualified poll workers and well run sitesacross the city on Election Day. Weve heard horror stories of training sessions withdozing poll workers and meaningless poll worker testing protocols so its no wondersome sites literally break down on Election Day. NYPIRG heard reports throughout

Election Day of poll workers who were simply not up to the task. In my own Brooklynneighborhood, sites like MS 51 were the scene of long lines and chaotic conditions,while sites just blocks away were very busy but well organized. Its time toprofessinalize training at the Board with outside consultants who will be heldaccountable for their performance instead of using in-house and patronage appointees.The Council should use their Terms and Conditions power over the budget of the Boardto direct training resources only to professional trainers with overhauled training classesand demand performance reviews. The next time a voter faces chaotic sites, long linesand poll site employees and conditions that would drive a business bankrupt, theyshould blame the Board for its lousy training standards.

The Mayors opposition to effective voter registration programs in city agenciesmeans a decreased voice for the city on the state level and less diverse rolls.Mayor Bloomberg has long opposed having workers in city agencies covered by LocalLaw 29 (Pro-Voter Law) answer questions from clients who wish to fill out a voterregistration form. City workers in Motor Voter agencies are required to do so, as areworkers in DMV and many state agencies. The Mayors opposition not only meansfewer voters are registered, but that the citys voice in statewide elections is diminishedand our rolls are less representative. To make matters worse, the Mayors Pro Voteragencies have also all failed to physically integrate voter registration forms onto theirintake forms as required by the law, further decreasing the effectiveness of the program.The Council issued a scathing report on compliance in 2003, its time to follow-up and

put pressure on the city administration to comply with the law. The next time webemoan the citys voter registration and participation rates, the Mayor is partly to blame.

Doctor Zizmor shouldnt have more ads in the subways than the Board ofElections. The city needs to do more to educate voters about the Boards poll sitelocator and sample ballots along with election dates, voter rights and the resources likethe BOEs phone app. The lack of a more widespread voter education campaign by thecity in the subways and busses in conjunction with the BOE or the Campaign FinanceBoard is baffling. For every voter unnecessarily forced onto an affidavit or faced withconfusion about where they vote or the ballot on Election Day, the city is partly toblame.

Albany is the Ultimate Solutionand the Problem

There are a multitude of possible reforms that can be made to the states Election Law.Unfortunately, there has been little indication that the State Legislature considers thecurrent situation a crisis, let alone a problem worth confronting and dealing with. Mostconsider the Republican State Senate as the principal and primary roadblock to reform.But lets not forget that little improvements came out of the 2009-1010 session when


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Democrats controlled both houses. It is our hope that the new governing coalition in theSenate will be open to reforms.

New York was the last state to fully implement HAVA. (While, that delay led to someimprovements in the selection of new voting systems it is important to note this was notthe intention of the delay, merely a beneficial side effect.) HAVA was indicative of theLegislatures inability to responsibly govern and required action by the Justice

Department and Federal Court. Similarly, just last year legislative inaction created animbecilic two primary election system in New York, displaying a stunning disregard forvoter participation, strained election budgets and the residents of the state.

The one recent bright spot on the state level has involved the first steps by theGovernor to automate voter registration through an overhaul of motor voter servicesoffered by the states DMV offices. Since urban areas like New York City have far lowerrates of citizens interacting with DMV offices we hope this Committee will also considerweighing in with the Governors (and Mayors) office on executive actions that could betaken to expand this program quickly to a broader range of state and city agencies.

Unfortunately, instead of addressing our electoral crisis, the State Legislature has failedto act. Albany prefers to take on the persona of an ostrich, burying its head in the sand,unwilling and unable to address serious shortcomings in state election law. Since thevast bulk of laws that oversee and impact elections fall under the states jurisdiction, thatbodes ill for the continued health of our democracy. Fortunately, the city has someauthority to improve elections without action from Albany.

The Councils Role & the Election Reform Package

Six bills currently in front of the this committee address discreet shortcomings in the

administration of our elections and propose meaningful reforms. We urge their passageand measures to strengthen them. Meaningful structural reform of the Board ofElections can only originate in Albany, but the Council can and should do its part.

While the Councils oversight role is essential, your ability to legislate local reforms canplay a vital role in improving voter participation and conditions at the polls. Its time forthis committee to continue your work on the bills, discuss them with the Mayor, BOEand other interested parties and for the Speaker to show her support for this legislationor explain her opposition.

NYPIRG and our fellow civic groups Citizens Union, Common Cause and the League of

Women Voters of the City of New York have endorsed a specific list of amendments tothe legislation that we believe will maximize their impact. Weve previously submittedand re-append that document to this testimony. But wed like to first highlight thereasons why we think its important each of these bills is passed and some of the moresignificant amendments were recommending.


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Voter Education and Participation Legislation

Bring voter education into the information age. Intro 613 (Councilmember Dickens) would require email notifications of election dates, registration deadlines and sampleballots to registered voters who voluntarily sign up for such updates.

Lets face it, many New Yorkers have made the transition to the information age and are

wired via computers, tablets, tweets, texts and smart phones. This common senselegislation would direct and empower the Campaign Finance Board to notify interestedvoters of important election dates. It should prove to be a cost-effective and efficientmethod to let voters know about registration deadlines, poll site hours, links to sampleballots, poll site finders and the citys voter guide.

However, to take full advantage of email notifications, Albany should amend the citysvoter registration form to include an optional box for email addresses. The Legislaturehas the clear authority to modify voter registration forms but since their political will to doso is uncertain it should also be explored whether the State or City Board of Electionscan include a box on the non-form portion of the application. We suggest the Council

follow-up with the State Board and request a written response regarding whether they ora local board can include an email box somewhere on the voter registration application.We hope the Council will also work with the Board and CFB about their outreach foremails and policies regarding them and to ensure email boxes are included on all otherelection related forms like poll worker applications and contribution forms used by theCampaign Finance Board.

Provide detailed and non partisan information to city voters heading to the polls.Intro 769 (Councilmember Eugene) would expand the citys Voter Guide to includemore city races and state and federal elections so voters are more informed about allcontests on the ballot.

The citys Voter Guide is a fantastic resource for city voters. We also must rememberthat not all voters feel comfortable or have the resources to access election informationvia the Internet or new technologies. While the expansion of the Voter Guide willundoubtedly mean providing a higher level of support for the Campaign Finance Board,we believe the funds would be wisely spent. Since it is unlikely that Albany will evercreate such a resource for voters, the case for city action to provide its voters with vitalelection information is strong. We urge the passage of this legislation.

Should the Voter Guide contain all the proposed races? While some voters mightquestion the need for including Delegates to the Judicial Nominating Conventions, there

are virtually no sources of non-partisan information on races such as these available.One suggestion is that the Board could compile information on minor races, but onlypublish them in an online version of the Guide.

Parents of school kids deserve to be included in government registrationprograms to help expand and diversify the citys voter rolls. Intro 728(Councilmember Greenfield) would require voter registration forms to be provided toparents enrolling children in school.


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This proposed legislation is a no-brainer. Agency Based Registration is a provenmethod of registering eligible voters. The passage of the National Voter Registration

Act (Motor Voter) recognized that government can and should play a pro-active role inreaching out to eligible voters. Unfortunately, the most advanced and integrated MotorVoter registration program is offered in the Department of Motor Vehicles. Practicallyevery New York City resident takes the bus or subway, but we all certainly dont owncars or possess a drivers license or interact with other Motor Voter agencies. Thats

why reaching out to parents make so much sense. The citys Pro-Voter Law wiselyexpanded agency registration to additional city agencies, but its clear we can do more.

Parents of school kids have a special interest in the workings and budgets of our city,state and federal government. Many of them may be new citizens or young adults whohave not yet participated in the electoral process. Distributing registration forms makesperfect sense. We suggest that the legislation be amended in several ways, includingcoding forms (as they are for CUNY distribution efforts), and ensuring that forms arecollected and transmitted on a timely basis to the Board of Elections.

Election Administration and Accountability Legislation

Increase the number and quality of poll workers by offering time off for cityemployees working the polls. Intro 721 (Councilmember Lappin) would establish apoll worker program that will give incentives to municipal employees to work on ElectionDay in order to enhance the pool of competent and able poll workers.

Clearly, many of our poll workers are hard working, dedicated and we owe them ourthanks. But the old system of relying on political parties to provide poll workers simplydoesnt work anymore. A significant number are now recruited through other means,but its clear that the city can still use more and better trained poll workers. Intro 721would begin to comprehensively address this problem by institutionalizing a recruitment

program in city agencies and we urge its passage.

NYPIRG believes this is the most important piece of election legislation currently in frontof the Council. So many of the problems voters face on Election Day could be avoidedwith an influx of new, qualified poll workers. Since most city workers already getGeneral Election Day off, we have urged the Council to extend this initiative byproviding time off for non-essential employees on Primary Day in exchange for theirworking at the polls. By working with the citys public sector unions to ensure a systemthat they would be able to support, granting time off would provide a steady andtalented pool of poll workers and improve voters experience at the polls.

It is our understanding that state law requires Boards to accept poll workers forwardedto them through the patronage process up to July 15 th, but they typically ignore the cut-off date because workers are in short supply. Instituting comp time for city employeeson election days should eliminate the poll worker shortage, and result in the recruitmentof better-qualified poll workers. Our testimony will detail other ways to address the pollworker problem later on.

The BOE should ensure that testing standards for poll workers are vigorously enforcedby professioanlizing training and that they do not accept recommendations for poll


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workers after the cut-off. Doing so would reduce the need for patronage appointments,a reduction that would be made up by qualified city workers. Council oversight of pollworker appointment practices would help identify the extent of this problem. We alsosuggest an entity like VAAC undertake a study that clearly identifies when and how pollworkers were recruited and trained for this past election if the Board fails to do so on itsown.

Coding of registration forms distributed by city agencies will lead to betterimplementation. Intro 760 (Councilmember Williams) would require the City Boardof Elections to report for particular city agencies the number of New Yorkers whocompleted voter registration forms while seeking city services.

NYIRG is proud of the role we played in helping draft Local Law 29. This importantinitiative seeks to broaden the registration opportunities for citizens interacting with cityagencies. Unfortunately, its difficult to determine how well specific agencies are doingcomplying with the law and distributing forms. Coding forms and requiring the Board toreport on forms received is a simple and efficient way at helping determine howeffective these efforts are and to identify areas for improvement. We suggest this

excellent proposal be extended to cover all city agency registration programs, includingthose distributed under National Voter Registration Act mandates.

Central to the coding systems effectiveness is the Board of Elections protocols forentering and recognizing the codes. While the Board has improved its data entryprocedures to report more coded forms, it still relies on a human worker entering thecode into the Boards system. This poses particular problems creating uniformcompliance across five borough offices, especially when large numbers of forms areentered close to the deadline by hard-pressed staff and temporary workers. We urgethat the Board be required to update their scanning software and protocols toautomatically recognize a coded form. This is a simple fix that will benefit the Board

and oversight.

As previously noted, equally important is for provisions of the Pro-Voter law requiringagencies to physically integrate voter registration applications with their intake forms tobe enforced by the Mayor. It is our understanding that this charter requirement islargely ignored and participating agencies instead use generic City Board forms. Thatsunfortunate, since agencies could easily print their own unique code on forms they haveintegrated onto their intake forms. if We urge that VAAC monitor current agencycompliance with this requirement since agency printing will ultimately mean an easy andeffective method of distributing coded forms. We find the Board of Elections oppositionto this bill ill informed and misleading. It is an example of ill-conceived bureaucratic

instincts of the BOE trumping the goal of accountability. Passage of 760 would notrequire any additional expense since forms are already mandated to be distributed.Indeed, if agencies followed the law regarding the printing of forms, expenses wouldactually be reduced for the Board.

The public deserves ongoing and standardized accountability from the Board ofElections. Intro 778 (Councilmember Lander) would require the City Board ofElections (the Board) to report data required by the Mayor's Management Report to the


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City Council. This will better measure the Board's performance against key metrics forevaluating its administration of elections.

Public confidence in our elections is not possible without public confidence in the Boardof Elections. Just as New Yorkers deserve to know if response time for fire engines orambulances has gone up or down, we also deserve to know how many poll workers aretrained and deployed by Assembly District. How many affidavit ballots were rejected

and for what reasons, how long did it take for Board employees to respond and fixbroken scanners are other examples. While the Board has improved on its reporting, ithas varied wildly over the years. Accountability and confidence in the Board will onlycome once standard metrics are developed and the Board is required to report them tothe Council and the public that funds them.

The Board of Elections Preparedness for the 2012 General Election

Poorly run poll sites can lead to direct voter disenfranchisement. This year too manysites: had long lines that forced some voters to leave before casting a ballot; had

chaotic and disorderly sites; had ballot marking devices hidden in a corner withoutassigned trained staff to assist voters with their use; had scanners break downthroughout that day; were inaccessible to voters with disabilities; and did not havetranslated ballots available to voters according to law. Fortunately, most voters donthave such problems on Election Day, but too many do. With customer service like this,if the Board of Elections were a business, theyd be facing bankruptcy.

For too many, this was a rough election. With redistricting and the relative newintroduction of optical scan voting systems its probably safe to say that over half theelectorate voted via a new technology or at a new poll site or ED. That already meantwe could expect many very long lines at poll sites, too many problems with optical scan

ballots and too many affidavits this Election Day. Problems were compounded by theimpact of Hurricane Sandy on voters and poll workers and the Governors wise, thoughlate decision, to extend affidavit ballot rights to voters from the affected counties.

However, while many board staff and poll workers worked tirelessly before and onElection Day, the problems many voters faced are systemic. They were not caused byHurricane Sandy, the Governors Executive Order, redistricting or conducting NewYorks first Presidential Election on optical scan, We need to focus on reforms to ourvoter registration, voter education, Election Day operations and the administration ofelections or these same problems will occur over and over again.

We urge that the Board take the following steps to improve their administration ofelections:

Eliminate Voter Cards at sign in tables. The Board discussed this notion at lastweeks Commissioner meeting and once again failed to take action. While we shareconcerns about any possibility of voter fraud, the archaic voter card system is anunnecessary obstacle to efficient lines and serves virtually no purpose. The currentsystem for example could easily be replaced with pre-printed cards that would providethe same level of security against individuals entering poll sites with Xeroxed copies of


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Notable Board of Election Improvements

Weve noted a number of our concerns and criticisms of the Board (and city.) However,NYPIRG has also been impressed by the positive changes and initiatives weve seenundertaken by the Board this year and since the last Presidential Election. These

include:

A pre-election mailing to voters. State law nonsensically requires a letter tellingvoters where their poll site is located to be sent out in August. For years, weve beenurging a supplemental mailing before the General Election when voters will make themost use of it. Council Member Brewer, the city and Board made sure that such amailing did happen this year. That meant shorter lines for many, fewer affidavit ballots,less chaotic poll sites and a smoother election for many.

Election apps and an updated web site. The Board deserves credit for developing ahandy phone app that voters can use before, or at, the polls. Together with the Boards

vastly improved web site, this improved access to poll site info and sample ballotsmeant better-informed voters on Election Day.

Sample ballots online. The Board, city and Council worked together to get this done.Not only does it mean more informed voters, but sample ballots also help speed upElection Day lines when voters are already familiar with their ballot.

Election night reporting enters the 21st century. NYPIRG is no fan of speed overaccuracy, the wireless transmission of election data or the inadequate state audit lawsfor optical scan machines. But the Boards new closedown procedures that enlist policeto transport memory sticks for unofficial election night totals is ultimately good news for

public confidence in returns and election results.

Improved ballot design. The Board rightly took criticism for its Primary Day 7 pointfont ballot design and they made some important modifications that meant a slightlylarger font on November 6th. But the Board needs to take a harder look at printingmultiple ballots in different languages as a way to satisfy Voting Rights Act requirementsand create more space for better ballot design. We fear that the Boards reluctance totrust their own poll workers in a more complex ballot distribution process may be toblame. A better poll worker pool would be aided by passage of Intro 721, the Councilspoll worker bill. Passage could ultimately lead to further improvements in ballot designeven if Albany continues to fail to act on statewide reform.

Improved communication. We believe the Boards top management has improvedcommunication with voters and the civic community. Thats good news and the Boarddeserves credit for it.


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Specific Recommendations for NYC Board of Elections, City Legislative, StateLegislative and Constitutional Reform

Unfortunately, the most effective electoral reforms for New York State have the leastchance of being enacted into law in the near future. Yet, because there are so manyshortcomings in our present system of running and administering elections, there are anabundance of reforms, major and minor that should be considered. NYPIRG believes it

makes sense to consider a variety of approaches both incremental and structural,given the political gridlock in Albany. Some of the suggestions we have made for cityaction can also be taken at the State level, but uniform standards and improvementsacross the state are needed.

NYPIRG makes the following recommendations for Better Elections in New York Cityand State:

I. Voter Registration

Enact same day registration. The states antiquated system of voter registration is a

relic of a bygone era. It serves little purpose other than to help self perpetuate the re-election of incumbents and limit voter participation. New York should join those statesoffering Same Day Registration through the passage of an amendment to the statesconstitution. We also believe the city should enact its own same day registrationsystem for municipal elections and that such a system would be legal.

Each year, just as interest in elections and candidates begins to peak, potential votersfind that the deadline for registering to vote has already passed. Here in New York,campaigns for statewide and local offices barely attract public attention before October.By the time voters begin to focus on the election, the deadline has already passed.That doesnt make sense, especially when there are proven systems to do away with

the voter registration barrier.

A system of Same Day registration would dramatically increase voter participation in astate where participation has fallen to shockingly low levels. Electoral participationexperts have long concluded that registration black-out periods lower voter turnout.One needs to look no further that the states that have same-day or no registration toshow how well the system works (participation rates in same-day states aretraditionally among the highest in the country, including for 2012. This year, Californiaand Connecticut joined the Same Day Registration list for future elections.)

Establish a Universal Registration program for eligible city residents. Universal,

automated registration enrolls voters when they move or interact with a governmentdatabase. Under such a system, the state and municipalities like New York City wouldidentify eligible voters through a centralized agency database and place them on therolls. Duplicate registrations would be avoided by running potential new voters againstthe existing county and/or state databases of registered voters. Potential universalregistrants identified through databases would include those with citizenshipinformation. Similarly, voters who move within the county/NYC would have theirregistrations updated. We support Assembly Member Kavanaghs Voter Empowerment

Act that would establish such a system as well as strengthen the states National Voter


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Registration Act (NVRA) programs. In the interim, the Mayor should direct city agenciesto provide updated voter address information to the Board of Elections.

Early voting should be explored for New York State. While we are enthusiasticabout the potential to increase the opportunities for voters to participate in elections andthe possibility of reducing lines and congestion on Election Day, we are still awaitingadditional analysis of how effective early voting was in increasing actual turnout.

NYPIRG might endorse some form of early voting for New York. However, anyprovisions for early voting should be extended to more than one site per county. In alarge urban county such as Brooklyn, early voting would undoubtedly benefit some, butif limited to one site would be relatively negligible in addressing the goal of reducingcongestion at the polls. Any model should require at least one site per AssemblyDistrict or similar unit in large counties.

One hesitation to supporting early voting is that NYPIRG believes there is an advantageto having voters cast their ballots on Election Day. Voters waiting until Election Dayhave the benefit of additional information about candidates and races. Much of themedia fails to focus on local races until just before the election.

Direct state agencies to electronically capture and transmit voter registrationdata. The NVRA requires that the Division of Motor Vehicles, social service agenciesand offices that primarily serve persons with disabilities provide voter registrationservices. Such services include the distribution of voter registration forms andassistance with their completion. However, only the DMV has integrated the voterregistration form into its own computerized applications for licenses. Interested driverssimply fill out a few additional questions regarding their registration status and the DMVthen enters and forwards the information to Board of Elections. The program hasrecently been extended to a clients interaction with their account on the DMVs website or via terminals in DMV offices. These extremely efficient methods of automatically

and digitally transmitting voter registration data to Boards of Elections should beadopted by all state agencies covered under the NVRA within a specific date. This stepwill help ensure that the states diverse voters have proportionate representation instatewide elections. The current system favors those with interaction with DMV officesand must be expanded.

Require city and state utilities and franchises to distribute voter registrationforms. The city and state should require franchises that have direct contact with thepublic to provide a voter registration form to all new clients and with change ofaddress requests. Utilities and franchises like Verizon, Time Warner Con Edison andLIPA should be required to distribute voter registration forms and this should be

negotiated in any new contracts. Their contact with the public is universal. Often, utilitiesare the first to know about new residents and would be ideal conduits of registrationforms and information.

Increase participation and decrease affidavits by re-defining the entire state as asingle election jurisdiction. With the creation of a statewide database of voters, thereis no legitimate reason for the definition of election jurisdiction to remain at the countylevel. The preservation of the powers of county BOEs to control voter registrationcomes at the detriment of voters who move across county lines and unnecessarily find


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themselves unable to vote on Election Day. We should have a single expansive set ofstandards for registering voters at the state level that preserves the ability of localBoards to raise concerns about eligibility. The federally mandated creation of astatewide registration list should spur the New York to rethink its current definition of

jurisdiction. We note this change might require constitutional change.

Amend the State Constitution to enable easier access to absentee ballots. The

State Constitution and Election Law currently place unnecessary restrictions andburdens on New Yorkers applying for an absentee ballot. Increased access toabsentee ballots would likely mean increased voter participation from voters with work,school or childcare commitments who wouldnt currently qualify under current law.

In an age where some states such as Oregon successfully moved to conducting entireelections on paper, its time to rethink our own states policies with an eye towardsexpanding absentee voter opportunities as a method of increasing voter participation.While NYPIRG does not have a position on moving to a vote by mail election, Oregonspast experience shows that widespread use of mailed-in ballots has not resulted infraud, but has increased overall turnout to among the highest in the nation.

NYPIRG supports the passage of a constitutional amendment that would allow for no-excuse Absentee Ballot legislation to be debated and passed. While we supportliberalizing the use of absentee ballots, we also see a tremendous civic value inpreserving the concept of an Election Day. Important information often comes out closeto the date of an election. As previously noted, the media often does not even focus onstatewide or local races until the week before Election Day. For that reason, anymovement towards no-excuse absentee voting, or liberalization of the absentee ballotprocess should preserve the right of a voter to cast their ballot at the polls on ElectionDay. We also see a distinction between early voting and increasing the opportunity toapply for an absentee ballot.

Create a single statewide primary election for federal, state and local races. Aspreviously noted, the dual primary system in New York is a waste of money and virtuallyguarantees reduced turnout at the polls. NYPIRG supports a single June primaryrecognizing that changes in petitioning deadlines should also be considered to facilitatethat process.

Stop the attacks on college student voting by rogue Boards of Elections andCommissioners. This year, students faced obstacles to registration and/or voting inDutchess and Cortland counties. We are also looking into potential problems at SUNY

Albany and in Westchester at SUNY Purchase. Language that clearly establishes a

students right to register and voter from their college community if they so chooseshould be enacted to stop these annual assaults on election rights.

II. Voter Education & Participation Initiatives

Provide voters with better information before Election Day via Email and websites with sample ballots and poll site finders. Boards of Elections across the statehave a poor record when it comes to providing voters with important election informationvia electronic means. In the absence of satisfactory voluntary progress by the Board of


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Elections, the state should amend voter registration applications to offer voters theoption of signing up to receive email notices with important election dates, links to avoters sample ballot for their election district, poll site information as well as votingrights and other information on the states website. As previously noted, though Boardscurrently have the power and authority to include such a box, none have done so to ourknowledge. On a normal basis, such information would be useful and lead to better-informed voters showing up at their proper EDs on Election Day.

Similarly, counties across the state should mirror what New York City has done byproviding poll site finders and sample ballots via their web sites. Practically all theinformation is already digitized through the use of ballot marking devices and opticalscanners. The State Board of Elections should have the responsibility and resources tomake sure local Boards comply.

Additionally, a box on the form allowing voters to request accommodations (e.g., ASLinterpreter) as is done in Wisconsin, a box allowing voters to request voting informationmaterials in the accessible formats mentioned above and a box allowing voters torequest such materials in languages covered under the Voting Rights Act should be

required on voter registration forms and available for voters to indicate on-line.

Better mailings and poll site notices should supplement currently inadequatestate law. State law only requires that poll site notices be sent to voters in the summer.One mailing before the state and local primary is not helpful for most voters comeNovember (or for voters participating in the June federal primary.) Voter confusionabout poll sites is one of the primary reasons for long lines on Election Day and the useof affidavit ballots. Additional, clearer, and timelier mailings are needed so voters arenot confused and useful information and materials are not overlooked. The state shouldmandate a mailing before each Primary & General Election and require consultationwith literacy experts and the civic community to make sure theyre eye catching and

clear. As previously noted, we commend the city, Board and Council for this yearssupplemental mailing. This reform should be made permanent on the state level.

The state should also publish a voter guide similar to that in California informingvoters of candidates positions on issues. The CFBs Voter Guide is a tremendoussuccess and provides information to voters on candidates and voting procedures in auseful and non-partisan manner. The state should mirror such a guide for candidatesand ballot questions. Such a guide should be sent to all registered voters in advance ofElection Day and made available by electronic means. A New York State Voter Guidewould shorten lines on Election Day as a result of better-informed voters and helpensure that voters are informed about candidates and propositions when they cast their

ballots. As previously noted, we also support currently proposed Council legislation inthe interim that would expand your voter guide to include state and federal elections.

III. Election Day Operations & Voter Participation

Simplify ballot design for voters. Voting is a right that shouldnt require a magnifyingglass. Common sense legislation awaits approval by the legislature to create guidelinesfor better ballots. NYPIRG supports this legislation as well as the clear elimination ofthe states full-face ballot requirement. If a corner diner can clearly offer more than 100


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choices and categories of food, so should our ballots clearly explain the procedures andchoices on a ballot. Miniscule fonts, unnecessary graphics and unreadable directionsresult in spoiled ballots and longer wait times. Ultimately, the State Board of Electionsshould employ usability experts in ballot design and any templates created by the SBOEfor local use should be made available for public review (Ass. Kavanaghs currentproposal does not include this.)

Institute undervote protections for voters. The state should mandate that undervoteprotections be instituted for voters across the state that would notify voters using ascanner that they had not cast a ballot on identified races. Such protection exists forvoters using ballot marking devices. NYPIRG believes one of the State Board ofElections worst decisions regarding Optical Scan was their decision to eliminateundervote notification for voters. Undervotes happen frequently, when votersconsciously or mistakenly fail to mark their ballots for certain races. Optical scansystems marketed in New York promoted the fact that they would alert voters if they hadmissed voting on a particular race. But the State Board pulled a bait and switch. Afterthe contracts were signed and regulations approved, they moved to block and theneliminated provisions that would have required voters to be notified they missed a race

and pushed permanent changes in state law. They even refused to allow local boardslike New York City to activate this feature on ballot scanners.

The rationale for undervote protections, particularly in a confusing full-face ballot statelike New York, is that voters attention will be called to each individual unvoted race onthe ballot. This is an excellent tool to make sure that voters fully exercise theirfranchise. While we recognize that many voters will intentionally leave a race withoutcasting a vote, a far better option is to allow the voter to fill in an intentional undervoteor none of the above box for each particular race in which they choose to not cast avote. That would help prevent unintentional delays in the voting process withoutpotentially disenfranchising voters. Alternatively, local Boards should simply ensure

sufficient numbers of tabulators and poll workers are present at poll sites to ensure thetimely submission of ballots.

Lower rates of undervotes were the primary reason many advocates like NYPIRGpreferred optical scan over ATM style machines. If we can institute an efficient way tonotify voters about undervotes through notifications on scanners that further reducethese rates, then we should be exploring this option. If a voter failed to cast a vote forPresident or a proposal on the reverse of a poorly designed ballot, technology shouldalert them to that fact. NYPIRG believes that unintentional undervotes account for morelost votes than overvotes and that the states decision will mean hundreds of thousandsof cases where citizens voices and votes are lost annually. We have called for VAAC

to conduct a study in the past to compare undervote rates on ballots cast on ballotmarking devices that alert voters to undervotes to those on hand filled ballots. Werepeat that suggestion today and urge that the Council consider such a study as well.We believe that would clearly show the extent of the undervote problem.

Change the make-up of poll sites. Our current poll sites are based on twentiethcentury voting practices and often lead to chaos on Election Day. We need to re-imagine the poll site with merged ED sign in lists and dedicated poll workers for ballotmarking devices and affidavit assistance. Electronic poll site locators should be


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eventually required at poll sites to supplement the often unwieldy and cumbersomestreet finders. The New York City Board of Elections has designed a simple webinterface for voters to inquire about their proper site that could serve as a model for ahand held PDA device. Data would be downloaded before the election eliminating theneed for a wireless or wired connection to Board databases. A survey of best practicesfrom other states for directing voters to the proper ED and of electronic sign-in capabilityshould form the basis of changes in New York. We have suggested that VAAC

undertake such a survey. If they or the Board do not, we hope the Council will urgethem to do so.

Poll workers. While the majority of voters undoubtedly have acceptable and smoothrunning poll sites, too many do not. Voters should come first on Election Day.Unfortunately, for too many, the patronage structure of the Boards puts party loyalty firstand public service second. Focusing on changes to the practice of recruiting andtraining poll workers will mean better elections in the city.

As previously noted, we need better poll workers or conditions at poll sites will continueto be unacceptable for many of the states voters. While the entire patronage system

for poll worker hires can only be legally changed by an amendment to the stateconstitution, there are a number of reforms that can and should be made under thecurrent system to loosen the grip of patronage, lead to better poll site conditions andultimately better participation for voters. We urge the following reforms to the pollworker process:

1. Increase the number and quality of poll workers by offering time off for City(and state) employees working the polls. The old system of relying on politicalparties to provide poll workers simply doesnt work anymore. Too many positionsat the polls remain unfilled every election and the quality of many poll workersneeds improvement. Since most city workers already get General Election Day

off, the city should provide time off for non-essential employees on Primary Dayin exchange for their working at the polls and should open up talks with stateunions in time to implement the change before the 2014 elections. Granting timeoff on Primary Day would provide a steady and talented pool of poll workers,especially if instituted with the steps below.

2. Professionalize poll worker training so unqualified and untrained staffdont work the polls. Every year we hear horror stories of trainings withsleeping workers, answers provided to trainees taking the poll worker tests andineffectual trainings. Currently, trainers are employed through patronage withoutadequate quality controls. The current system should be eliminated and

professinalized with outside trainers with a mandate to fail unqualified workersand who would be subject to a review of their performance. To push this processalong we urge that the Council use its budgetary power of Terms and Conditionsto earmark funding go only to professional outside trainers that have proceduresfor accountabilty and success for their sessions.

3. Contemporaneously post calls and responses to the Vote-NYC on ElectionDay to increase accountabilty for poorly trained and unqualified pollworkers. We urge that the Board adopt a system that contemporaneously


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reports problems reported to its Vote-NYC system on the web. The Boardshould then provide real-time response times and what Board actions were takento resolve each complaint. If a poll worker is improperly demanding ID, refusingto provide an affidavit ballot or is just plain rude or seemingly not up to their taskthe public has a right to know how the Board has addressed the issue. Complaintinformation is already entered into a Board database on Election Day. Bysharing this information with the public, well have a better picture not only of any

specific problems that might have occurred at a specific site, but also the extentof problems across the city on Election Day. That could lessen unwarrantedcriticism of the Board based on limited reports and would also allow for year toyear comparisons of conditions at poll sites and greater accountabilty concerningspecific complaints about poll workers and other problems.

4. Mandate that the Primary and General Election are days off for SUNY andCUNY. College students and staff could provide a talented and well educatedpool of poll workers. CUNY (and SUNY) could help ensure a new generation ofpoll workers by implementing this step. Consideration should also be given toallowing seventeen year olds to serve as certain poll workers such as translators

and information clerks. (Guaranteed days off would also enable college studentswho have chosen to register from a previous non-college address the timenecessary to return to that location to vote without going through the oftendisenfranchising absentee ballot process.)

5. Enforce the July 15th cut-off date for the patronage appointment of pollworkers. State law requires Boards to accept poll workers forwarded to themthrough the patronage process up to July 15th, but it is our understanding thatthey typically ignore the cut-off date because workers are in short supply.Instituting time off for city employees and closing SUNY and CUNY on electiondays (above) should eliminate the poll worker shortage, and result in the

recruitment of better qualified poll workers. The need for patronageappointments could be reduced or eliminated. In coordination with suchreforms,the Comptroller should not approve poll worker pay for patronageemployees referred after July 15th.

6. Enforce a policy that those who miss training or fail the poll worker testwont work the polls. In past years, thousands of poll workers failed to attendannual training and hundreds who attended training, but failed the simple pollworker test, got to work at the polls. These workers shouldnt be hired.Fortunately, those numbers have dramatically decreased, but as noted above thequality of the trainings and testing procedures are questionable. Better trainers

may mean more workers once again failing tests. Instituting time off for cityemployees and closing SUNY and CUNY on election days will ensure anadequate and qualified pool of workers on Election Day.

Better poll site notices are needed to reduce potential confusion and affidavits onElection Day. A prominent notice at the entrance to each poll site and at each ED tableshould inform voters how they can access their proper site and ED/AD number viaphone numbers, websites, phone apps and other technologies from the State and localBoard of Elections. The preponderance of cell phones and smart phones that have


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access to the web, and wireless capable tablets and laptops provides an easyopportunity for voters to access important information on Election Day.

Such a system would have the benefit of reducing lines of voters awaiting poll workersto look up their proper ED/AD info at the polls. In addition, poll sites should be requiredto post a large map identifying the borders of EDs of area poll sites to assist voterswithout smart-phone technology to identify their proper site and table.

We understand that some signs may have been created here in the city, but the BOEshould look into having more signs with this information adjacent to the electioneeringand poll site signs located outside of poll sites to reach more voters.

Aggressive oversight of BOEs - perhaps through additional legislation - is neededto ensure full compliance with laws on language assistance and access for voterswith disabilities. Securing the right to vote should not take endless action in thecourts. Past legislation proposed in Albany would have provided clear standards toCounty Boards by requiring them to meet accessibility standards under the Americanswith Disabilities Act. It would also have required the State Board to develop and

distribute a poll site accessibility survey instrument, compel local Boards to use it toidentify problems at poll sites and relocate those sites if problems exist.

NYPIRG values the opinion of our colleagues in the advocacy community and hope theCommittee will seriously consider their recommendations for addressing these ongoingfailures by Boards of Elections.

IV. Ensuring Greater Accountability of Electoral-Related Agencies Will Also Leadto Higher Rates of Voter Participation

Replace the patronage structure of Boards of Elections with professional civil

service employees. The current weaknesses of the State and local Boards leads to agenuine impact on conditions at the polls and voter participation. When voters leavepoll sites because of 2-hour lines and chaotic conditions, participation suffers. Whenpoll sites open late or workers are unable to properly operate voting systems,participation suffers. When party leaders appoint commissioners and commissionersappoint staff via patronage - accountability, oversight, public confidence andparticipation suffers.

The intent of a bi-partisan elections board is understandable. The patronage systemseeks to have the parties self police and watch over each others shoulders.Unfortunately, the system is broken beyond repair. Boards and their employees have

little or no accountability to the public. Weak party structures and the demographics ofthe state virtually guarantee that the bi-partisan assignment of poll workers on ElectionDay is a failure. Its time to explore constitutional alternatives to the bi-partisan,commissioner led structure of the State and local Boards of Elections. Any changeshould include the replacement of patronage staff with civil service employees. NYPIRGis open to exploring a variety of executive-management models.

Require all meetings of the County Board of Elections to be web-cast or televised.We have already noted our bafflement at the City BOEs refusal to web cast its


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meetings. A strong argument can be made for mandating that all public county BOEmeetings across the state be web cast live/televised and archived. There are fewentities where openness is more central to democracy than those concerning thedemocratic process. A schedule of all web casts should be prominently posted onrelevant web sites. It is our hope that public confidence in election administration willalso lead to higher levels of voter participation.

Mandate better oversight and accountability of Boards of Elections. The stateshould mandate State and county BOE participation in an annual management reportthat details key metrics, including voter registration and participation rates, length of pollsite lines, a detailed listing of election day complaints and their resolution, voting systembreakdowns and performance and analysis of poll worker recruitment, training anddeployment. This will enable an analysis of each Boards performance to itself inprevious years and to other Boards to determine best practices. Current state lawprovisions for annual reports are woefully inadequate. We welcome Council MemberBrad Landers bill to mandate MMR stats to be provided by the Board to the Council.

Meaningful audits are needed to ensure public confidence in returns. New and

improved auditing provisions for optical scan ballots are needed to maintain publicconfidence in election results and ensure that tampering or software glitches andmalfunctions do not jeopardize the integrity of election tallies. Weve heard fromstatisticians who seriously question the states current audit requirements as insufficientto ensure the integrity of results. We recognize there are different approaches toattaining more meaningful and statistically accurate audits. One common sense stepwould be to allow candidates who receive over 5% of the vote to select a limited numberof EDs for targeted audits. Enlisting participating candidates to assist in determiningEDs where questionable returns were reported is a simple approach that wouldincrease public confidence in results.

V. Additional Reforms to Improve Election Day Operations

We have suggested an ambitious agenda for changes to the States Election Dayoperations. Yet additional pressing reforms are needed to ensure enfranchising theelectorate on Election Day. We urge the Council to consider supporting the followingadditional changes to State Election Law:

NYPIRG supports legislation to require that Affidavit Ballots be counted if a voterappears at a polling place in the correct county but in the incorrect electiondistrict. Unfortunately, many voters face considerable confusion at poll sites onElection Day and this often leads to voters casting an Affidavit Ballot at the wrong

location. There are many reasons a voter may end up at the wrong poll site: naturaldisasters like that just witnessed by so many New Yorkers; voters EDs change; manyEDs simply have their poll site changed; new voters assume they cast their votes at theclosest site; overworked poll workers neglect to look up and inform a voter of theirproper location - preferring the simpler option of handing them an Affidavit Ballotinstead; and voters whove moved may assume a school down the road is their propersite.


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The confusion is furthered by the states inadequate process of notifying voters of thelocation of their actual polling place. As previously noted, receiving a mail notice in

August is little help for a voter first heading to the polls in November. Moreover thestates registration forms still do not allow for a voter to provide an email address toreceive simple notifications electronically.

As a result, countless voters find themselves casting Affidavit Ballots, only to have them

rejected because they are unsure of their proper poll site. There is no reason that BallotMarkers should not be programmable to provide voters with their personalized ED ballotat any poll site in a county. Until such a comprehensive rethinking of our administrationof elections occurs however, it makes sense that a voters choices should be countedfor the races for which they are qualified. NYPIRG understands that some voters mightbe tempted to abuse this new right, preferring to vote near their work address or apotentially closer and more convenient poll site than their own. But we believe thebenefits greatly outweigh this risk, especially when coupled with additional reforms toimprove conditions at poll sites. We view this reform as more easily implemented withour suggestion to re-imagine poll sites away from the current ED table model.

While NYPIRG supports the concept of county-wide no fault affidavits, we'd further urgethat Election Law be amended to require poll workers to look up the address of anyvoter not appearing on the rolls to help ensure their ballot will be counted and to attestto that fact on the Affidavit Ballot envelope. Often, poll inspectors will simply handvoters an Affidavit Ballot if their name is not on the rolls, seeing an Affidavit Ballot as amethod of moving the line along or avoiding a confrontation with a voter. Inspectorsshould be required to look up a voters proper ED/AD in a street finder and attest thatthey both did so and notified the voter of the result on the Affidavit envelope.

Mandate dedicated poll workers to assist voters with ballot marking devices orother voting technologies at poll sites. Each poll site in the state now has accessible

ballot marking devices, but they are underused, due in large part to the failure of localboards to have poll workers adequately trained and dedicated to help voters with thesystems. The State should ensure that any voters choosing to use accessible systemsare not relegated to second-class status, having to wait or be dependent on poll workersassigned other duties to assist them.

Study changing poll worker requirements. Consideration should be given toexpanding the pool of candidates for inspector by allowing all registered voters,regardless of party affiliation, to become eligible for at least two of the four positions perED. The current system of allowing only Republicans and Democrats to participate isundemocratic in that it denies other legitimate voters ability to participate fully in the

conduct of elections.

Move the state to developing its own vote tabulating system. While NYPIRGsupports precinct based optical scan systems, we believe that privatizing elections withsystems from private vendors is not desirable, especially due to the ongoing relationshipmany Boards must maintain with vendors to program and maintain their systems. TheState should fund development of its own system or systems so that in the future we arenot dependent on private vendors for programming, maintenance, training and,potentially, tallying of ballots. Election administration and machinery should remain in


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public hands. Ultimately, we believe this will also result in considerable savings tocounties owning the systems.

We thank the Committee for the opportunity to present this testimony and look forwardto working with you, the city and the Board for better elections for New York City.


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Citizens Union

Common Cause

New York Public Interest Research Group

League of Women Voters of the City of New York

Proposed Amendments for Local Election-Related Legislation

1. Intro 613 (Councilmember Inez Dickens) would require email notifications of

election dates, registration deadlines and sample ballots to registered voters who voluntarily

sign up for such updates.

a. Add language allowing voters in signing up for email notifications to only

sign up for particular types of notifications. For example, a registered voter may only

sign up for a notification about the deadline for an absentee ballot but not for notifications

related to registration deadlines. This would take the form of an electronic checklist when

users initially provide their email. Users should be able to change the types of emails

they want to receive on an ongoing basis.

b. Expand notifications to include text messages in addition to or as an

alternative to email notifications.

c. Expand the information that can be offered through email notifications to

include not only alerts about significant dates but also to receive voter education

material.

d. Charge the Board of Elections in the City of New York (City Board) to

implement the provisions of the bill. The Board appears to be willing to do so as it ispreparing to administratively do so in its website redesign. Having the Board implement

this is more favorable than the CFB because it is the go-to source by the public for voting

information, it already has 16,000 emails of registered voters, and it can administratively

ask for emails on the voter registration form.

i. If the CFB implements the provisions of the bill, amend the

following:

1. Change 8(d) to require the CFB to make email notifications

available to the Board so they can send an email to their list rather

than uploading emails to the CFB database (this change was in the

original CU draft)

2. Create flexibility in the email notifications sent for each

significant date.

Proposed revised language:

Email notifications shall be sent twice prior to or on the significant date.

More than one significant date may be addressed in a singular email provided

the notification is not too far in advance of the significant date.


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Strike this language currently in the bill: Email notifications shall be sent for

each significant date (i) ten business days prior to such date; (ii) three business

days prior to such date; and (iii) for a primary, general, or special election, on

election day commencing with the opening of the polls.

e. Assuming the bill is amended to charge the City Board withimplementation, require the City Board to coordinate with the CFB to provide

notices for the digital Voter Guide and other charter-mandated activities of the

Voter Assistance Advisory Committee (VAAC).

2. Intro 721 (Councilmember Jessica Lappin) would establish a poll worker program

that will give incentives to municipal employees to work on Election Day in order to enhance

the pool of competent and able poll workers.

a. Expand participating agencies beyond those subject to the Pro-Voter Law of 2001

to those local participating agencies subject to Election Law section 5-211.

b. Expand the municipal poll worker program to include the primary election.

c. Require the inclusion of municipal poll worker data in section 2(f) in the annual

report of the City Board.

d. Require notification of poll worker opportunities in paychecks to municipal

employees three months prior to a primary in which local, state or federal races are

occurring citywide.

3. Intro 728 (Councilmember David Greenfield) would require voter registration forms

to be provided to parents enrolling children in school.

a. The voter registration forms distributed with school enrollment forms by

the Department of Education should be uniquely coded by the board of elections of

the city of New York so that when forms are processed it is clear registrants

received them from the Department of Education. The Young Adult Voter

Registration Act (YARVA) passed in 2005 requires the citys high schools to provide

voter registration cards to graduating seniors in the same manner and at the same time it

provides a diploma. Yet because the registration cards distributed are not coded, the

extent of compliance by city high schools with YARVA is unknown.

b. The Department of Education should be required to collect completed forms

and transmit them to the Board of Elections of the City of New York within two

weeks of the receipt of such completed forms. If a completed form is accepted

within five days before the last day for registration to vote in a citywide election,such completed forms should be transmitted by the Department of Education to the

Board of Elections of the City of New York not later than five days after the date of

acceptance. This amendment will ensure that voter registration forms are processed in a

timely manner, and prevent submissions in bulk to the board of elections just before an

election which may delay processing, resulting in voters not being registered in time for

the next election.


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c. Ensure forms distributed to schools are in the languages that reflect

languages on the ballot at poll sites serving the school community.

d. Add National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) language ensuring that:

i. Information collected for the purposes of voter registration, including

citizenship information, cant be used or disclosed for another purpose;

ii. Voter registration is voluntary and receipt of services is not conditioned

upon completion of a voter registration form;

4. Intro 760 (Councilmember Jumaane Williams) would require the City Board of

Elections to report for particular city agencies the number of New Yorkers who completed

voter registration forms while seeking city services.

a. Mandate codes on agency forms as well as forms provided by the City Board

b. Require scanners at the City Board to read codes so they do not have to be

manually entered.

c. Require city agencies to report their promotion of and procedures for

implementing the Pro-Voter Law to the Voter Assistance Advisory Committee and the

City Board of Elections.

5. Intro 769 (Councilmember Mathieu Eugene) would expand the Citys Voter Guide

to include more city races and state and federal elections so voters are more informed about all

contests on the ballot (No amendments suggested).

6. Intro 778 (Councilmember Brad Lander) would require the City Board of Elections

(the Board) to report data required by the Mayor's Management Report to the City Council.

This will better measure the Board's performance against key metrics for evaluating its

administration of elections.

a. We support alternative versions to this proposal, such as the Board reporting the

data conforming to the MMR on its website and setting its own performance targets or

doing so jointly with the mayor.

b. If online reporting is done, we support contemporaneous reporting on Election

Day of complaints, resolutions to those complaints, and the amount of time taken to

reach resolution.

nypirg nyc council election test.nypirg 12.5.12

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