Roosevelt Island Election Polling Screw Up - One Building, One Apartment 2 Different Elections Districts and Voting Locations
DO 455 MAIN STREET RESIDENTS VOTE
HERE
HERE
OR HERE
How stupid is this? In previous elections, residents of Southtown's Riverwalk Place at 455 Main Street voted at PS/IS 217. Today, when attempting to vote some residents will learn that they are in the wrong location if they show up at PS/IS 217 because for some reason the NYC Board of Elections has split this single building into two separate election districts. Some residents will continue to vote at the school but others will be voting at Goldwater Hospital just south of the 59th Street Bridge.
The NYC Board of Elections explained to the Main Street WIRE:
PLEASE BE ADVISED 455 MAIN ST HAS TWO ELECTION DISTRICTS (97 AND 99)And:
ED 97 POLL SITE IS
645 MAIN ST
ED 99
GOLDWATER HOSPITAL
SORRY FOR THE MIXUP
... voters were informed of their polling place by mail.There does not appear to be any reason why some residents are assigned to vote at PS/IS 217 and others at Goldwater. However, a reader advises that:
Micah Kellner has confirmed that some at 455 MS (older residents) are in the 97th ED and will vote at PS/IS 217, others (newer residents) are in the 99th ED and will vote at Goldwater Hospital. Brilliant.It does not appear that length of time living in the building is a criteria for determining election district or polling locations for 455 Main Street. I spoke with a resident earlier this morning who told me that not only is the building divided into separate ED's but a married couple living in the same apartment have two different ED's and polling locations. Incredible. This resident also said that at 8:30 AM the Goldwater poll workers did not appear to know that 455 Main Street residents would be voting there and that there was great confusion. It took this resident and a friend over 45 minutes to vote despite there being nobody else at the poll location.
For some good news, I spoke with poll workers this morning who reported much heavier than usual voter turnout at PS/IS 217.
After voting, get yourself a free coffee at Starbucks - just tell the barista that you voted - though it may not be legal.
UPDATE - 3:25 PM - A Roosevelt Island resident writes this on WNYC election blog:
10:23AM
I’m a first time voter. Became a citizen last year. I found the voting experience archaic and chaotic. The NY Board of Elections could learn a lot from the NGOs helping out in countries with serious threat of voter fraud, on how to run clear and well run elections.
2 comments :
Whatever the reasons for this split was one thing is for sure: everybody was informed by mail about what polling place to go to. If they still went up the street to the school even though they were supposed to go to Goldwater, whose fault is it exactly?
Does anyone know why the southtown polling location did not have the RIRA election? Was this polling location the only one out of the 3 polling places on roosevelt island that required voters to vote in 2 seperate places? just wondering, because was very strange to have to vote in 2 places.
Post a Comment