NYC Cannot Afford To Pay For Primary And General Elections

[Bill Bored]

Note: This article fails to mention the http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x515706">increased cost of replacing lever voting machines with computers. That's odd.



BoE Says It Cannot Afford To Pay For Primary And General Elections
Budget battle set against backdrop of executive director stalemate
By Edward-Isaac Dovere

New Yorkers, be prepared to choose between the primary and general election—because the city cannot afford to put on both.

-snip-

there is not enough money to cover costs for holding New York City’s November general election after paying for primary operations in September, according to the current reading of the city budget by the Board of Elections.

The assessment of the Board of Elections shortfall—pegged at approximately $19 million less than what the agency’s staff says will be necessary to conduct its appointed tasks through the coming fiscal year—was announced Tuesday at the regular meeting of the commissioners at its headquarters in Lower Manhattan.

-snip-

http://www.cityhallnews.com/newyork/article-1366-boe-says-it-cannot-afford-to-pay-for-primary-and-general-elections.html

[Wilms]

1. Couple of things jumped out of that article.

snip

According to finance officer John Ward, the city budget passed last week leaves the Board $9 million short of the “personnel services,” or payroll budget, and an additional $10 million short of the OTPS, or “other than personnel services” budget used to pay for the new voting machines at long last being introduced this year to bring New York into compliance with the Help America Vote Act, as well as to bring those voting machines to the polling places.

Board of Elections staff say that the current budget allocates enough money for either one drop-off and pick-up of voting machines, presumably for the primary elections, and then not to be able to pay to bring the machines back out for the general, or to leave the pricey new voting machines sitting in polling places from September through November.

snip

Though the situation this year differs sharply—aside from a Brooklyn special Council election in March, there have not been any unexpected operations that would require extra funds, and the Board has had access to Help America Vote Act money for years to switch to the new machines—Gonzalez said he believed the same will happen this year to make up for the approximately $2.5 million necessary to do a second pick-up and drop-off of the voting machines. He added that he expects the Board to go begging for more money from the mayor and City Council in January, just as the city begins negotiating the FY 2012 budget—expected to be an even tougher battle than the one just concluded.

snip

I wouldn't have thought HAVA funds could be used for transportation of voting machines, if that's been implied in the snips. And the idea of leaving those machines unsecured shows a lot of ignorance. :shudder:


--on edit--

Please recommend Voting News everyday.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=203&topic_id=515786&mesg_id=515786