The Independent View: NYC Should Have a Professional Board of Elections

Established 140 years ago to combat Tammany Hall’s blatant municipal thievery, the New York City Department of Investigation (DOI) returned to its roots with a damning report that should lead to wiping out every last vestige of the New York City Board of Elections.

The 70-page document catalogues waste, boondoggles, political fixes and conflicts of interest that are built into the board’s DNA as a creature controlled not by City Hall but by the bosses of the Democratic and Republican organizations.

Commissioner Rose Gill Hearn’s report, the last of her 12 years atop DOI, covered familiar territory to readers of this blog. She ordered the probe after it was reported that the board had squandered millions of dollars by larding on patronage workers to run the ultra-low turnout off-year 2011 election.

They found multiple violations of the city Charter’s anti-nepotism provision. Although supervisors are barred from recommending family members for jobs, two of the board’s 10 commissioners hired close relatives, as did two of the 10 borough managers.

DOI also found that the board is hopeless in purging rolls of voters who died, moved away or lost their voting rights due to felony convictions. Undercover investigators posed as dead or jailed voters and were permitted to cast 61 ballots. They wrote in the name “John Test” for mayor.

In one instance, a Bronx poll worker helping voters use ballot scanners took an investigator’s ballot, read it in violation of privacy regulations and asked, “Who is John Test?” When the investigator replied, “John Test is my candidate,” the poll inspector inserted the ballot rather than having the voter do so, as required.

DOI also found:

-The board blows a huge amount of time and money by visually inspecting each paper ballot for a possible write-in vote, when their computers could simplify the task 1,000-fold.

-The board wastes staff time and scarce office space by forever storing registration cards.

-Poll workers are underqualified and undertrained and they cheat on the poll worker test.

After all these years, too many scandals and too much Election Day chaos, it’s time to professionalize the board.

From the report:

DOI’s findings about the BOE during this investigation also support the recommendations that have been made publicly and by good government groups, and could only be accomplished with amendments to the law: namely the elimination of the bipartisan composition of boards of elections, which requires equal representation of the two major political parties throughout BOE, replaced by professional boards designed to conduct election administration in a non-partisan manner.

Many of the areas covered by DOI in this report reveal a systemic lack of accountability and transparency, dysfunctional operations, and inefficient use of resources and City funds at the BOE.

A requirement of non-partisan election administration would not only curtail the influence of the county committees, but also, could facilitate the professional administration of elections by individuals selected based on merit.

The New York City Campaign Finance Board (“NYC CFB”) is an example of a professional board designed to “conduct all their activities in a strictly non-partisan manner.” City Charter § 1057.

The NYC CFB consists of five members: two members appointed by the Mayor who shall not be members of the same political party, two members appointed by the Speaker of the City Council who shall not be members of the same political party, and a chairperson appointed by the Mayor after consultation with the Speaker. Id. § 1052. The NYC CFB reports to both the Mayor and the Speaker of the City Council. The staff of the CFB are hired on a nonpartisan basis.

To remedy the lack of accountability and transparency at the BOE, improve the efficiency of its management and operations, and promote the professional administration of elections, DOI therefore recommends amendments to the State Constitution and the Election Law eliminating the bipartisan composition of local boards of election and requiring that the BOE operate in a non-partisan manner.

Hearn has been named the new chairwoman of the New York City nonpartisan Campaign Finance Board.

CLICK HERE to read the report.