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New York City Department of Investigation Report on the New York City Board of Elections’ Employment Practices, Operations, and Election Administration
Rose Gill Hearn Commissioner December 2013
 
 
 
Table of Contents Executive Summary
 ........................................................................................................... i
 
DOI’s Board of Elections IG Unit
 ................................................................................ i
 
Problematic Employment Practices
 ............................................................................ ii
 
Election Administration and Efficiency Concerns
 .................................................... iii
 
Recommendations
 ........................................................................................................ vi
 
The New York City Board of Elections’ Employment Practices, Operations, and Election Administration
 ................................................................................................... 1
 
I.
 
Introduction and Background
 .................................................................................. 1
 
II.
 
BOE Employment Practices
 ..................................................................................... 3
 
A.
 
Hiring
 .................................................................................................................. 3
 
B.
 
Nepotism
 .............................................................................................................. 6
 
C.
 
Political Activities
 ............................................................................................... 9
 
D
.
 
Performance Evaluations
 ................................................................................ 10
 
E.
 
Employee Discipline, Time & Leave, and Whistleblower Protection
 .......... 10
 
III.
 
Election Administration Issues
 ............................................................................... 12
 
A
.
 
Voter Roll Deficiencies
 ..................................................................................... 12
 
B
.
 
Ballots
 ................................................................................................................ 24
 
C.
 
Poll Worker Recruitment, Training, and Performance
 ............................... 28
 
D.
 
Election Day Issues
 ........................................................................................... 35
 
E.
 
Election Results
 ................................................................................................ 39
 
F.
 
Buff Cards
 ......................................................................................................... 42
 
G.
 
Runoff Elections
 ............................................................................................... 43
 
IV.
 
Conclusions and Recommendations
 ...................................................................... 45
 
A.
 
DOI Recommends Changes to the BOE’s Policies and Procedures
 ............ 46
 
B
.
 
DOI Recommends That the State Legislature Amend the State Constitution and Election Law to Eliminate Bipartisan Boards of Election and Provide for Nonpartisan Election Administration
 ....................................................................... 55
 
Appendix - Background ...................................................................................................... 1
 
 
 "
Executive Summary
 
DOI’s Board of Elections IG Unit
In April 2013, the New York City Department of Investigation (“DOI”) issued a report documenting that the New York City Board of Elections (“BOE”) wasted at least $2.4 million in City funds by failing to consolidate election districts during the November 2011 off-year elections. Following the issuance of that report, the Commissioner of DOI requested and obtained funding from Mayor Bloomberg to create a Board of Elections Inspector General Unit (“BOE IG Unit”) within DOI to have additional dedicated resources for investigation of fraud, corruption, waste, mismanagement, and conflicts of interest relating to BOE. Between June and November 2013, DOI hired staff for the BOE IG Unit, which is now fully constituted. During that same time period, DOI began a set of investigative initiatives using investigative personnel from multiple DOI units and the members of the BOE IG Unit. These comprehensive initiatives included investigating, among other areas, BOE’s employment practices, the role of the county political committees in hiring and promotions, nepotism, employee participation in political activities, election administration issues, including the presence of ineligible voters on BOE’s voter rolls,  poll worker training and performance, ballot design, and how BOE tallies election results. In the past six months, DOI has conducted more than 40 interviews and meetings with BOE Commissioners, Executive Office managers, Chief and Deputy Chief Clerks of the borough offices (“Borough Managers”), current and former BOE employees, poll workers, and members of good government groups, visited each borough office, and reviewed various BOE records. In addition, approximately 60 DOI investigators conducted Citywide operations during the 2013 primary, runoff, and general elections, visiting 437 of the approximately 1200 poll sites in New York City. The 60 investigators, among other investigative activities, conducted quality assurance surveys of voters at poll sites throughout the five Boroughs, logging complaints from 596 of 1,438 voters relating to subjects such as ballot readability, poll workers, and poll site locations. DOI’s operations also revealed that there are names of ineligible voters (
e.g 
. felons and people no longer City residents), and deceased voters, on the BOE voter rolls, some for periods of up to four years. Accordingly, DOI investigators posing as a number of those ineligible or deceased individuals, were  permitted to obtain, mark, and submit ballots in the scanners or in the lever voting booths in 61 cases, with no challenge or question by BOE poll workers. Investigators were turned away in 2 other cases. No votes were cast for any actual candidate or on any  proposal during the course of the DOI operation. Based on the findings from this investigation, DOI makes more than 40 recommendations for changes to policies and procedures at BOE that can be addressed without a change in the law. DOI’s findings also support a recommendation for change similar to those made publicly and by good government groups, which could only be

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