QUESTION
What constraints does the NYC Board of Elections face regarding poll worker compensation for non-government-owned sites?
3:58:34
·
6 min
The NYC Board of Elections faces constraints in compensating non-government-owned poll sites due to tax exemptions and market rates.
- They can legally mandate compensation for some non-government-owned sites due to tax exemptions or specific needs.
- For other sites, they have to negotiate higher rates to incentivize cooperation.
- Private sites may receive different compensation based on factors like enhanced security costs.
- The Board faced challenges when early voting rates surged but legislation for a uniform scale did not pass.
- Discrepancies in compensation exist, particularly for early voting locations, with examples like Madison Square Garden receiving $250,000 for services.
David M. Carr
3:58:34
So the chair was asking you before about poll worker compensation.
3:58:37
And one of the things I know that's been a struggle is the level of compensation you can offer to non publicly owned poll sites or early voting sites, right, not for profit owned sites or maybe even privately owned sites.
3:58:50
What are the constraints that the agency has in that regard and and who would need to kinda lift them to allow you maybe to be off for a a better rate of compensation for use of a site wasn't government owned.
Michael J.Ryan
3:59:00
So I think they fall into 2 different categories essentially.
3:59:04
1 is the non government sites then that we can legally mandate because of a tax exemption or some other reason.
3:59:14
And then there's the non government sites where we are going hatton hand to the particular location because we have a need in that area that's not satisfied by a government building or a or a a site that we can mandate.
3:59:31
That's where you're seeing a tremendous disparity between what private sites may get.
3:59:38
The ones where we're going to them, we're kind of I wouldn't say paying market rate, but we're paying a higher rate of compensation to the sites that we go to asking them to be good citizens.
3:59:51
Well, There's a price of admission for being a good citizen apparently.
3:59:55
Right?
3:59:55
And the other sites, we're not allowed to pay rent.
3:59:59
So we have them provide to us the additional costs, the up charges that they're facing for trying to be for for being a a pulse site enhanced security, you know, or lost opportunity of those kinds of things.
4:00:15
So we begged and were rebuffed when this early voting was first starting because that's really where the charges have gone, you know, through the roof.
4:00:26
We bank for some type of scale to be passed with that legislation, and it didn't happen.
4:00:34
Because we would like everybody to be on a level playing field And and so we're dealing with it in the best way that we can.
4:00:48
But I would not sit here today and say there's uniform consistency across the across all of the the various poll sites, particularly those that serve as early voting locations.
4:01:03
It's a little bit easier with the election day sites.
4:01:06
But the but the early voting locations, it's summer getting a few $1000 and summer getting much more than And and for example, we received a tremendous amount of praise during 2020 when we used Madison Square Garden as as an early voting location.
4:01:23
Well, obviously, absent, you know, an emergency like that, Matson Square Gardens is not going to be available because they have other events that are going on.
4:01:32
But we pay them $250,000 for service as opposed.
4:01:36
I mean, so they got, you know, they got, you know, the big headline.
4:01:40
They they gave us a logo our logo on the roof of Madison Square Garden.
4:01:44
It was great, but they got a lot of money to do it.
4:01:47
And we're certainly not paying that kind of money across the board to to other locations.
4:01:53
And so basically, if they give us a small bill, we pay a small bill.
4:01:58
If they give us a larger bill, we pay a larger bill.
4:02:00
Okay.
4:02:01
There's no method to it if that's the question.
David M. Carr
4:02:03
We'll have to keep that in mind.
4:02:04
Next step, we're all open, Albany.
4:02:05
And I just wanna in closing chair.
4:02:07
Thank you both for all the work that you've been doing and all the the entire team at the agency.
4:02:12
Things have been running really well, and I appreciate all the great work.
4:02:15
Thank you.
Vincent Ignizio
4:02:16
Thank you, Jeff.
4:02:17
One thing we we should mention though is the the depth of which we have enhanced in the great system of early voting this word from, what was it, 61 sites?
Michael J.Ryan
4:02:28
And Yes.
4:02:29
61 in 2019.
4:02:31
And I
Vincent Ignizio
4:02:31
think this year, we're poised to to get somewhere around 150.
4:02:35
1, currently, we're we're seeking to add additional sites.
4:02:39
143 total, because I know Gail will record 143 currently.
4:02:44
I know Gail long enough not to say roughly 143 sites this you know, the Well, for this year and and potentially more as we as we do the run
Michael J.Ryan
4:02:55
And to supplement that a little bit, the the council historian may remember way back to 2019, when we were coming out, we had 61 early voting locations, and we were being excoriated that we weren't doing enough.
4:03:11
And we tried to during that testimony, and matter of fact, you were in the administration at the time.
4:03:16
I'm not holding you responsible for any any of that excoriation, but but we were being told it wasn't enough.
4:03:22
And we kept telling everybody.
4:03:25
This is not something that you can just add water and stir.
4:03:28
It's something that's brand new and it has to be built.
4:03:32
You don't want it to fail coming out of the blocks, and then it's a disaster and nobody trusts it.
4:03:38
Well, we're seeing a building trust in early voting, and we went from 61 sites in 2019.
4:03:47
To now we're gonna be utilizing a 143 sites, you know, for the next election.
4:03:52
And we're viewing that whole process of early voting sites and site selection as an evolutionary process.
4:04:00
In other words, a job that's never going to be done.
4:04:04
You shouldn't look at it and go, okay.
4:04:06
We're good enough now.
4:04:07
We should always be looking to improve.
Lincoln Restler
4:04:09
Well, I I
Vincent Ignizio
4:04:09
I'm not sure if we can ever sorry.
4:04:11
If we can advertise, if council members, if community residents would want us to look at particular sites throughout, we will evaluate.
4:04:18
And please, we look to you as council members in the local districts to say, I could use an extra site and please in help us interface with whomever is an appropriate site, and we obviously need to look through our systems to ensure that it's com in compliant with rules, regs, laws, whatnot, but please let us know.