SLATER CALLS FOR OVERSIGHT HEARING ON NEW YORK’S VOTER REGISTRATION SYSTEM

Assemblyman Matt Slater (R,C-Yorktown), ranking Minority Conference member on the Assembly Election Law Committee, and Assemblyman Phil Palmesano (R,C-Corning), ranking Minority Conference member on the Assembly Ways and Means Committee, are calling for a joint legislative hearing to examine the integrity, security and fiscal oversight of New York’s voter registration systems.

The request follows a software failure in New Jersey that resulted in approximately 6,600 non-citizens being erroneously registered to vote. While there is no evidence that New York has experienced a similar failure, the state maintains contracts with the same vendor reportedly connected to the New Jersey system. The vendor holds 44 contracts with New York state agencies totaling approximately $579.5 million.

“While there is no evidence that New York has experienced the same issue as New Jersey, we have a responsibility to be proactive and ensure the proper safeguards are in place,” said Slater. “An oversight hearing will allow us to examine our systems, identify any potential vulnerabilities and make sure taxpayer dollars are being spent responsibly to protect the integrity of our voter registration process.”

     “Safeguarding our elections is of the utmost importance. What happened in New Jersey is concerning and must never happen in New York. Non-citizens should never be able to vote in elections; that is why taking the step to have an oversight hearing is so important. New Yorkers deserve to know the status of the integrity of elections and holding these hearings is a crucial part of that. When election systems fail, taxpayers are ultimately left to bear the costs of investigations, administrative corrections, and restoring public confidence. Ensuring our election laws are properly enforced protects both the integrity of the ballot box and the interests of New York taxpayers,” said Palmesano.

The proposed hearing would include testimony from the State Board of Elections, Department of Motor Vehicles, Office of Information Technology Services, the vendor and independent experts. Topics would include existing voter registration safeguards, system audits, citizenship verification procedures, internal controls and state contract oversight.

  “New Jersey has a serious problem on its hands, and it’s incumbent upon us to make sure we don’t run into a similar issue in New York,” Minority Leader Ed Ra (R-Franklin Square) said. “It’s entirely reasonable to believe that since non-eligible voters appeared on the rolls in New Jersey, it could happen in other states. Holding an oversight hearing is a proactive step – a responsible step – to assess New York’s own system.”

The lawmakers stressed that the request is not an accusation of wrongdoing in New York but a proactive exercise of the Legislature’s oversight responsibility to protect election integrity, taxpayer dollars and public confidence.