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Q&A
Discussion on early voting sites and operations
4:05:04
ยท
3 min
Council Member Restler and BOE representatives discuss the success of early voting in the previous November election and plans for future early voting sites. They address concerns about using schools as voting locations and explore alternatives.
- BOE plans to maintain 55 early voting sites for upcoming elections
- Approximately one-third of early voting sites are currently in schools
- Council members offer to help identify alternative locations to reduce disruption to schools
Lincoln Restler
4:05:04
you.
4:05:05
Early voting.
4:05:06
We had a really successful early voting period this past November.
4:05:10
I was impressed by the operations across the city.
4:05:14
I believe over a million New Yorkers voted early and I hope we continue to see that same level of enthusiastic early voting turnout in June.
4:05:23
You shared with us that you had a 55 early voting sites in November.
4:05:28
Many early voting sites do plan to have for June?
Michael Ryan
4:05:31
If we have primaries in all of the locations,
Lincoln Restler
4:05:36
we will have a 55 sites again.
4:05:39
So If you don't have a council primary but then there's a mayoral primary, you wouldn't
Michael Ryan
4:05:44
Oh, yeah.
4:05:44
You're right.
4:05:44
I'm sorry.
4:05:45
I I apologize.
4:05:46
We we have, three, citywide elected officials.
4:05:48
So, yes, we'll have the 55
Vincent Ignizio
4:05:50
Great.
Michael Ryan
4:05:50
For and that will be the standard number, moving forward.
4:05:55
I don't anticipate it getting less than that.
4:05:58
It would only grow from here.
Lincoln Restler
4:05:59
Great.
4:06:00
I'm a strong proponent, and I believe my colleague is as well, of cultural institutions, libraries, colleges, government buildings as great locations for early voting.
4:06:13
I'm concerned about the use of secondary schools because when we're in a cafeteria or a, you know, other key space in the building, we're displacing kids for a week at a time.
4:06:24
And if you have three elections in a year, it's a real negative impact on the school.
4:06:28
So how many of the 55 early voting sites are within elementary, middle, or high schools?
Michael Ryan
4:06:34
There's very few in elementary schools.
4:06:36
Most of them are in high schools.
4:06:38
We can get you the exact numbers, but we do have a few, where, we are forced by what I'll call a desert of no other available, locations suitable locations to use, some schools that we would otherwise not wanna use?
Vincent Ignizio
4:06:55
I think it's about a third, but we'll we'll A third of the early voting
Lincoln Restler
4:06:58
sites are schools.
Vincent Ignizio
4:06:59
Yeah.
4:06:59
I I believe so.
4:07:00
We're somewhere in that neighborhood.
4:07:01
Don't please don't hold me to that number.
4:07:02
But we have always said and we speak to Gail often I'm sorry.
4:07:07
Council member Brewer often.
Gale A. Brewer
4:07:08
Or I like Gail.
Lincoln Restler
4:07:10
I just wanna be clear.
4:07:11
Everybody speaks to council member Brewer often.
Vincent Ignizio
4:07:13
Yes.
4:07:14
But we are absolutely open to speaking to council members who know their districts districts best to say can you look at this site?
4:07:20
Can you look at alternatives?
4:07:21
And we always will and we always have.
Lincoln Restler
4:07:23
I know that you're always responsive.
4:07:24
But I think that for this issue we actually need you to be proactive.
4:07:28
And I think that if we're talking about 50 odd sites across the city where we're in schools, it's worth flagging for every council member the schools in their district to see if they can identify alternatives that could work.
4:07:41
You know, I mean we've had issue we've had not for early voting, but you know I can remember like private businesses that are ADA accessible that have worked as polling sites.
4:07:54
And so we can help identify quirky spots that you're you know it's impossible.
4:07:58
I mean you guys know Staten Island, but it's impossible for you to know every corner of the city in that with that same level of expertise.
4:08:04
And so but we do, right, because it's our community.
4:08:07
So I would just strongly encourage and we'd be happy to help on this if you could draft a memo for us that breaks down the 55 site the 50 odd sites by council district, we can follow-up with each member and make sure that they're they're looking hard.
Vincent Ignizio
4:08:19
Yeah.
4:08:19
And it'd be very helpful to have the council members input in what he or she seeks for their district
Lincoln Restler
4:08:23
as well.
4:08:24
If you could give me a breakdown of the sites by district, I'd follow-up with each member myself.
Vincent Ignizio
4:08:27
Great.