NYC Comptroller Sets Up Website To Report Problems At The Polls On Election Day
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer will be monitoring the elections closely in an effort to avoid a repeat of problems voters experienced on Primary Day.
"We had chaos on Primary Day," Stringer told 1010 WINS' Sonia Rincon. "Tomorrow is one of the biggest elections in our lifetime and we anticipate a very high turnout."
Stringer called for an audit of the Board of Elections after wide-scale issues were reported during the April state primaries.
The most common complaint was voters being told they weren't registered, followed by being told they were not registered with a political party, and the denial of affidavit ballots when requested. Other complaints included lack of privacy, accessibility issues, unclear instruction, and the availability of only blue pens when ballots state they must be marked in black.
"The Board of Elections lost 120,000 people, people were sent to the wrong polling place, people had to wait in lines only to find out they didn't vote at specific locations, there was no one telling them what to do," Stringer said.
Board of Elections Executive Director Michael Ryan said they expect to see 2.2 million voters on Election Day, and he's assuring New Yorkers that they're ready.
"We work diligently to make sure that there are as few problems as possible," Ryan told WCBS 880's Peter Haskell.
State regulations indicate wait times shouldn't exceed 30 minutes, but Ryan said that will vary at each individual polling site. He said technicians will be standing by to repair faulty machines.
Voters can report problems to the Board of Elections on Twitter or by calling 866-VOTE-NYC.
Stringer's office has also set up a website for voters to report any issues they encounter during the presidential election.
State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has also launched a hotline and email. Voters experiencing problems or issues at the polls can call 800-771-7755 or email civil.rights@ag.NY.gov at any time on Tuesday between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m.
