Common Cause is calling for reform of New York’s Elections Administration - after some Boards of Elections were found to have made errors - resulting in a razor thin margin in the 22nd Congressional District race. An unprecedented amount of people voted early or by absentee last November and the Boards were overwhelmed.
Common Cause New York Deputy Director Sarah Goff says she hopes there will be a public conversation about the potential changes at both the local and state levels.
“So, whether or not that’s holding public hearings, inviting the public to testify or submit comments but, we do want this open transparent process that is not shut off from public view like we too often unfortunately see.”
According to Goff, the biggest takeaway from the troublesome 22nd Congressional District race is a need for a more professional election administration beginning at the top. Two election commissioners from Oneida County resigned last week and Goff says that’s where the most egregious errors occurred. She says qualified administrators need the right experience and skills to thrive in the position.
“We don’t come out with a set of specific recommended changes, we just want to see an open and inclusive process that is really thoughtful and deliberate and really brings together stakeholders from throughout the state, not just rush something through in response to what we saw last cycle.”
Goff says there is little the Boards can do to combat blatant lies when it comes to elections but, they must stay the course and continue to administer safe and secure elections.
“It’s an unfair burden to try and tell Election Commissioners to combat this blatant dis-and-misinformation being peddled for political purposes and undermines our democracy and the sense of security that most Americans feel that our election results are accurate and fair.”
Goff says the first step is to hold open conversations before they make solutions. Common Cause has released its White Paper on Reforming New York’s Local and State Board of Elections.