Due to concern over rumors of local voter fraud, the Port Washington-Manhasset League of Women Voters asked the Nassau County Board of Elections to audit all instances of voting irregularity for 2016. There appears to be no substance to these rumors, making Nassau County consistent with the rest of the Nation in maintaining the integrity of the voting process.
Specifically, Nassau County Board of Elections Chief Clerk Essma Benkhoukha writes, “Please be advised that after reviewing our 2016 canvassing reports, we have found no instances of voting irregularities reported by poll workers or observers.”
As the report indicates, Nassau County is typical of the rest of the country where repeated, rigorous scholarly investigations have consistently found minimal instances of voter impersonation, non-citizen voters, and in-person fraud. These studies of election integrity throughout the United States show clearly there are never more than five to ten instances per year out of 100 million votes.
Now that it is established that our voting process functions properly, we can turn to getting more citizens to the polls. New York state ranks low in voter turnout, with more than a dozen polling precincts in our area having fewer than 5 percent turnout, and a third having 30 percent or fewer. Finding ways to make voting easier and more accessible for all citizens will help increase voter presence at the polls.
Like the League of Women Voters of New York State, we advocate for the following reforms, which have proven successful in many other states (codes in parentheses are New York Senate and Assembly bill numbers):
- Early Voting (S7400) — to allow voting 7 days before the election (as 37 other states do).
- No Excuse Absentee (A7623/S0840) — to allow voters to request to vote by mail without declaring a reason to do so.
- Voter Empowerment (S3304)— to modernize voter registration, making it more efficient, easier, less costly, and more accurate.
- Voter Friendly Ballot (S1512) — to improve the readability and clarity of ballots.
- Electronic Poll Book (A5547/S2788) — to expand the successfully piloted 2011 program statewide.
- Pre-registration 16 and 17 (A9609/S1601) — to allow teens to pre-register at the Department of Motor Vehicles and be automatically enrolled on their 18th birthdays.
- Single June Primary Election (A9925/S3562) — to consolidate state and federal primary election dates to comply with the Military Overseas Empowerment Act.
We ask that all candidates support these reforms, enabling more constituents to be heard and counted.
Julie Meer Harnick, President
League of Women Voters, Port Washington-Manhasset