The Independent View: NYC Early Voting with EPoll Books

New York City's Early Voting begins Oct. 26th, 2019 till Nov. 3rd, 2019.

There are Early Poll Sites in All Five Boroughs:

Bronx - 11
Brooklyn - 18
Manhattan - 9
Queens - 14
Staten Island - 9

For the First time, Electronic Poll Books will be used at the Early Poll Sites. They are considered a Necessary Tool in the Implementation of Early Voting because they Better Allow Elections Administrators to Manage the Flow of Voters at Polling Sites scattered around each Borough over the course of Nine Days of Early Voting, followed by the Full Slate of Poll Sites typically Open on Election Day.

The City Board of Elections Commissioners moved to adopt a $19.1 Million Four-year Contract with an Electronic Poll Book Company called KNOWiNK in July. The Contract includes $405 per Poll Book, $4 Million for Software, and $1 Million a year for Maintenance and Licensing.

Running New York City Elections has been a largely Paper-based Operation. Currently, Poll Workers use Physical Poll Books to Look-Up Voter Registration Information and provide Voters with a Ballot. The Paper Books are cumbersome and Limited to the Names of Voters Assigned to a particular Poll Site.

Electronic Poll Books provide a way to Track whether a Voter has already Voted at One or Another Site, Preventing Overvoting during the Early Voting Period. They can also contain Larger Voter Rolls than the Paper Books, allowing Poll Workers to Identify a Voter’s Registration Information, after Scanning their Voter Card or Manual Entry, and Direct them to the Proper Poll Site, even if they arrive at the Wrong Voting Location. They should also Speed efforts to Look-Up Registrations in the Voter Rolls at various Points in the Process.

The State has a Plan to Reimburse Counties for certain Early Voting Expenses, including Equipment Purchases like Electronic Poll Books. The State Allocated $14.7 Million in Capital Funding for Electronic Poll Books in All 62 Counties, and another $10 Million from the Aid to Localities Budget for Early Voting Operations to be Distributed at a rate of $15,000 per Early Voting Site.

The City BOE’s Total Budget in the Current Fiscal year is $246 Million, of which $21 Million will go to Purchasing Electronic Poll Books and another $75 Million for Early Voting Operations, and some of these Expenses will be Reimbursed by the State.

The New York City’s Five Counties would receive a total around $9.1 Million from the State for 61 Poll Sites.

Power is a Concern. In late August, the Board discovered that some Poll Site Outlets could Not provide the Amperage Electronic Poll Books and Ballot Equipment require. The Board responded: long term plan would be for the poll site to update their electrical capabilities in the designated poll room. In the meantime, it appears the Board is exploring Options to Secure Generators, which are also necessary in the Event of a Power Outage.