DiNapoli Audit Recommends Stronger Oversight of
Absentee Voting by State Board of Elections
The State Board of
Elections needs to strengthen its oversight of absentee voting in New York
State after a state audit found that some counties accepted absentee ballots
that should have been rejected, according to an audit released today by
State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.
“There is a stark lesson
to be learned from disputed elections around the country,” DiNapoli said. “When
you are responsible for producing and counting ballots in an election, it is
imperative that you understand the rules and apply the rules consistently.
Every voter should get a fair shot to cast their vote. At the same time the
state board must protect the integrity of the process.”
State law allows a
registered voter to request an absentee ballot from the local county board of
elections when the voter is unable to appear at the voter’s regular polling
place. If a voter’s request is accepted by the local board, a voter receives
an absentee ballot. A ballot must be postmarked seven days before an election
or delivered in-person the day before.
Auditors examined the
oversight of absentee voting in the 2006 election and found the State Board
of Elections has not monitored the practices of local boards related to
absentee voting. While the state board does visit local county boards, it has
no uniform procedures regarding what it reviews when on-site. Since 2001, the
state board has not conducted any in-depth reviews of local boards; instead
it has issued 15 follow-up reviews that examine the progress on reports that
were completed in the early 1990s. None of these in-depth or follow-up
reviews addressed absentee voting procedures.
Auditors assessed absentee
voting practices in seven counties (Albany, Bronx, Dutchess, Rensselaer,
Richmond, Seneca and Westchester) and found six of the seven counties
accepted applications from voters that should have been rejected because they
were incomplete or the voter was not registered to vote in that county. In
total, auditors found 27 of a sample of 350 accepted applications that should
have been rejected.
Auditors also found that
only two of the seven counties (Dutchess and Westchester) updated their voter
databases to indicate an inactive status of a voter when ballots were
returned by the post office as undeliverable. Generally, ballots are returned
because the address is incorrect or the individual is deceased or has moved.
If corrections are not made to the county board’s database, ineligible voters
could be allowed to vote and some individuals might be able to vote more than
once in the same election.
The state board said
reviews were conducted more frequently in the past but its current efforts
are still focused on complying with the Help America Vote Act and certifying
new voting systems. The state board did not dispute any of the findings of
the audit and agreed to consider the auditors’ recommendations, which are
detailed in the audit. The state board’s full response is included in the
audit.
Government
Accountability
The Office of the State Comptroller regularly audits state agencies, public
authorities and New York City agencies. Auditors ensure that programs achieve
their established goals, funds are used efficiently and assets are adequately
protected against fraud, waste and abuse. DiNapoli’s office completes
approximately 200 state audits annually and identifies hundreds of millions
in savings and fraud each year.
Click here for a copy of
the audit.
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Albany Phone: (518) 474-4015 Fax:
(518) 473-8940
NYC Phone: (212) 681-4840 Fax: (212) 681-7677
Internet: www.osc.state.ny.us
E-Mail: press@osc.state.ny.us
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