Common Cause believes in government that distinguishes from right and wrong – and works for everyone. It had this really interesting report on reforming election boards in New York. Here is an excerpt:
New York’s poorly run elections are a perennial issue across the state. While some counties perform better than others, the general consensus is that state and local boards of elections are in dire need of reform. And while there is near universal recognition that New York’s elections are broken, there is little consensus on what legislative, operational and policy interventions are precisely needed at the state or local level.
COVID-19 presented new challenges for most aspects of election administration. Counties were quickly forced to dramatically expand absentee voting, adapt elections to public health guidelines which impacted anything from poll site layout to enhanced cleaning protocols, and revise absentee ballot counting procedures to account for the surge in volume while protecting election workers. Opportunities to register new voters, which requires an in-person interaction, disappeared overnight and registration rates plummeted. Overall, boards of elections met the challenge and executed the presidential election, which saw a bump in turnout and the widespread utilization of early voting, under incredible duress.
Increased turnout combined with the pandemic stress tested New York’s election administration and, as a result, has renewed calls for reform. Ultimately, these changes will need to be a mix of short and long term legislative and policy solutions that reflect the input of stakeholders from around the state including local and state election officials, elected officials, election experts and voters. Fortunately the new two year state legislative session, which began January 2021, will grant New York ample time to deliberate any needed constitutional amendments and, in the near term, any legislation that will begin the process of structural reform to our elections. Common Cause New York (CCNY) has been a longtime champion of reforming New York’s elections and reducing the influence of politics in election administration. The reform process must be deliberative and transparent, and not the product of piecemeal legislation hastily cobbled together in response to headlines.
Read the full article here.
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