Report Finds Barriers to Voting in Some NYC Neighborhoods
A report on low voter turnout in New York City by the Black Institute of New York has found significant barriers to voting in a number of neighborhoods with a high proportion of minority and elderly residents.
January 26, 2018 at 04:28 PM
2 minute read
A report on low voter turnout in New York City by the Black Institute of New York has found significant barriers to voting in a number of predominantly minority neighborhoods.
The analysis by the nonprofit think tank was conducted in response to a New York County Supreme Court decision in October 2017 in a lawsuit filed by the Black Leadership Action Coalition and LeFrak City residents against the New York City Board of Elections, which alleged that the Elections Board unlawfully relocated polling sites. Supreme Court Justice Erika Edwards ruled for the plaintiffs, saying the decision to relocate the polls was “irrational, arbitrary and capricious” and ordered the polling places to be restored to their previous locations in time for Election Day.
The report released Friday said that despite an 11 percent increase in voter registration over a two-year period in the city, the board increased polling sites by just 1.4 percent, leading to overcrowding. It also found that some of the most affected areas, including Harlem, Coney Island and LeFrak City, have a high percentage of racial minorities and elderly residents. The researchers cited a “significant disparity in the availability of poll sites in different neighborhoods,” according to the report.
“This pattern and practice demonstrates the need for structural voter reform that makes the Board accountable to all the voters it is charged with serving,” said Ethan Felder, a union-side labor attorney who represented petitioners in the LeFrak City lawsuit, in a statement.
A spokeswoman for the New York City Board of Elections did not respond to a request for comment on the report's findings or the reforms requested by the group.
The coalition is demanding reforms that include legal provisions ensuring long-term stability and more equitable distribution of voting places in the city. The group also endorsed passage of bills in the state Legislature that would enact no-excuse absentee voting in New York State, which is already in place in 27 states; and passage of state legislation that would require management of the elections board be independent of political party affiliation.
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