De Blasio, Queens Pols Want Board of Elections to Clear Up Poll Site Confusion

The city's public advocate and a bevy of Queens elected officials are calling on the city's Board of Elections to fix mistakes that that could send borough voters to the wrong poll site during next week's primary election.

Mailers sent to voters in at least four Queens Assembly districts that were redistricted earlier this year listed the wrong poll site, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio said.

The public advocate and a number of state Assembly members representing Queens sent a letter to the Board of Elections to urge that immediate steps be taken to fix the errors ahead of the Sept. 13 primary election.

State Assembly members who signed onto the letter include Edward Braunstein, D-Bayside, Grace Meng, D-Flushing, Elizabeth Crowley, D-Middle Village, David Weprin, D-Little Neck, Michael Miller, D-Woodhaven, Aravella Simotas, D-Astoria, Jose Peralta, D-Jackson Heights, and Phil Goldfeder, D-Ozone Park.

"If we can't even get people to the right poll site to vote, we are really up the creek," de Blasio said. "The Board of Elections has to make this right - fast."

The Board of Elections could not immediately be reached for comment.

De Blasio said some voters had received corrected mailers, but others had not. He called on the board to place poll workers at all voting sites in Queens that have been made aware of the errors who could give the correct information to voters who were told the wrong site.

He said the board should also be sure to send out the correct poll site information prior to the Nov. 6 general election.

"Government should be providing ways to encourage people to vote, but by assigning the wrong poll sites, the BOE is making the process confusing and difficult, which could lead to voters staying home," Crowley said.

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