New York – With Election Day just a week away, the head of the city’s embattled Board of Elections was fired on Tuesday following a series of missteps with new voting machines and other procedures.
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The firing of George Gonzalez, the executive director, occurred after a meeting of the 10-member board in Lower Manhattan. The vote was 6 to 4.
Election officials emphasized that the change would have no impact on the elections next week, when New Yorkers are expected to turn out in much bigger numbers than the Sept. 14 primary to vote for governor, attorney general and comptroller, as well as members of the Legislature, the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Continue reading at The NY Times
Are the New York machines also “prechecked” to Democrats like in Nevada?
I’m glad that this action was taken. In the community that I live in, there have been many problems at the local election precinct. There have been instances where the poll workers have been incompetent, and not allowed people to vote, even though the person was registered. One time, they stuck two pieces of paper together (the voting records), and claimed that one person wasn’t registered. The fact of the matter was that his name was contained on the pages, which were stuck together. Another time, the smell of liquor could be detected on a poll worker’s breath. A third time, one of the levers in the voting machine didn’t work. We are now allowed to vote by absentee ballot (without needing a reason or an excuse). The latter method is far superior, than having to schlep to the voting precinct, stand in line, and deal with incompetent personnel. Also, with the new electronic voting machines, there is no privacy, as those machines have no covers.
Well now he can run for Governor. He is as capable as some of the others that are running.
To #1 : Is that really true in Nevada? If it is, it reminds me of elections in, say, Venezuela.
I don’t understand the rationale for firing him a week before the elections. One of the causes of low voter turnout is lack of confidence in the voting system. By firing the chief executive a week before the elections sends the message: “The voting system is SO BAD, that we are firing the boss NOW!”
Like I said, not a way to improve confidence in the voting process.
pray to g-d that your vote goes though