Iowa’s election meltdown is a warning sign for New York

Last week’s Iowa primary made one thing clear: We must tread carefully when using technology to count votes. Unfortunately, it appears Albany hasn’t gotten the message: The state Board of Elections is trying to certify a voting machine called the ExpressVote XL for use in future elections, and the technology has been rife with problems. During the 2019 Northampton County, Pennsylvania judiciary race, the system miscounted thousands of ballots and raised serious concerns about the legitimacy of the election. That fiasco, as well as questions about whether the system can be hacked, has caught the eye of the state’s Senate elections committee. Sen. Zellnor Myrie of Brooklyn has asked the Board of Elections to delay certification until a public hearing about the machines is held. But at the moment, the Board is showing no sign of relenting.

In other news …

• New York’s new “independent” district commission might not be so independent after all, writes Politico. The commission, approved by voters in 2014 and set to redraw district lines following the 2020 census, is catching flak for not being free from outside control like advocates had hoped. The problem not only stems from how commission members are assigned, but from who has been been assigned so far. At this point, three of the state’s four legislative bodies have named appointees, and those nominees are already being criticized for not accurately representing the diversity of New York’s constituents. And then there’s theTimes Union editorial board’s claim that Senate Minority Leader John Flanagan and Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay named political allies to the committee rather than truly independent choices, a move that could lead to partisan redistricting in the new commission. Sound familar?
  
• IF YOU ARE A REGISTERED VOTER WHO WOULD LIKE TO VOTE IN THE APRIL 28TH PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY, THE BOARD OF ELECTIONS MUST RECEIVE YOUR REGISTRATION FORM BY FEBRUARY 14TH IF YOU WANT TO SWITCH PARTIES. 
• IF YOU ARE NOT REGISTERED AND WOULD LIKE TO VOTE IN THE PRIMARY, YOU HAVE UNTIL APRIL 3RD TO REGISTER.
• ELIGIBLE NEW YORK VOTERS CAN REGISTER TO VOTE OR SEE HOW TO CHANGE THEIR PARTY AFFILIATION HERE. THOSE WHO AREN’T SURE OF THEIR STATUS CAN CHECK HERE. 

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The Take