On primary day there were many problems--machines malfunctioned, people did not receive absentee ballots; long lines (some people waited till after 11 PM to vote); lack of air conditioning, fewer polling locations. Board of Legislators holding hearing Wed
The Board of Legislators is meeting on Wednesday night at 7 PM and wants to hear your comments (in writing or via teleconference). This is a summary of complaints I heard from residents.
BOLPublicComments@westchesterlegislators.com is the e mail you can also write to if you would like to express your concerns.
I hope that the Board of Elections will give priority attention to correcting the many problems that took place. Our democracy depends on voter confidence of the integrity of our elections. The Greenburgh Town Board is meeting on Wednesday night so I will be unable to attend your meeting. I appreciate the fact that these comments will be included in the record.
Complaints I heard: 1) People did not receive absentee ballots; 2)long lines -some people waited for more than two hours to vote (some people voted after 11 PM); 3)Machines malfunctioned- one of registration machines that printed ballots kept shutting down because of inadequate power; 4) lack of air conditioning at some polls; 4)malfunctioning machines; 5)reduction in polling places. 81 election districts--5 polling locations. Confusion since people didn’t vote at the polling location they always vote at. Polling locations should not be reduced -voters should always vote at the same location; 6)unsure if absentee ballots that were sent in the ballot would be counted since postal service is not reliable (I had suggested that the Board of Elections send voters a confirmation that they received the ballot or provide voters with an identification number enabling voters to confirm if the ballot was received). It would be interesting if the county would analyze -after votes are counted - how many ballots were invalidated because they arrived too late. 7) Elderly and disabled residents with canes had to wait for up to two hours to vote and not afforded any accomodations; 8) people who were dehydrated and with temperature waited on lines --some left before voting; 9) lack of adequate help at polling places to control crowds.
PAUL FEINER
Greenburgh Town Supervisor
Legislators to Meet With Election Commissioners About Voting Improvements this Wednesday July 8 at 7 PM. The session will be streamed live and archived on the Board’s website, http://www.westchesterlegislators.com
The Board of Legislators would like to hear first-hand experiences from those who voted in the June primary. The deadline for comments is July 15. They are asking voters to share their experiences, as specifically as possible, by email at BOLPublicComments@westchesterlegislators.com.
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From County Legislators:
A new Election Information Gathering Task Force has been established by Board Chairman Ben Boykin. The Task Force will obtain public input about the June 23 Primary Election and about pro-active steps that can be taken for the November 3 General Election. It will provide a report to the Board of Legislators by August 7, 2020.
The Task Force will hold a public input session on Wednesday, July 8 at 7 p.m.
In order to ensure public health safety, the session will be conducted remotely, rather than in-person, pursuant to Governor Cuomo’s Executive Order 202.1 as extended.
The public will have multiple ways to participate:
• Online: To register to speak via the Board’s Webex online teleconferencing system, please click this link: https://westchestergov.webex.com/westchestergov/onstage/g.php?MTID=e544cf7dd60ae8922a643c64a2ea73444. Speakers will be called in the order of registration.
• By Telephone: Participants who wish to speak by phone should register by 3 p.m. July 8. To register, members of the public may call (914) 995-2800. Please leave a name and a callback number where we can reach you when the comment session begins.
• In writing: Comments can be submitted in writing by emailing BOLPublicComments@westchesterlegislators.com or mailing them to the Clerk of the Board of Legislators, 148 Martine Ave., 8th Floor, White Plains, NY 1060. Written comments must be received by 5 p.m. on July 15, 2020.
Speakers shall be limited to three (3) minutes.
The session will be streamed live and archived on the Board’s website, http://www.westchesterlegislators.com