CNN article gives both sides of the allegations of voter disenfranchisement in New York City Democratic primary elections
Sanders campaign, New York officials cry foul after New York voters report issues, http://edition.cnn.com/2016/04/19/politics/new-york-primary-voter-problem-polls-sanders-de-blasio/, dated April 20th 2016
The article quotes Senator Bernie Sanders as saying, "It is absurd that in Brooklyn, New York -- where I was born, actually -- tens of thousands of people as I understand it, have been purged from the voting rolls".
New York City mayor Bill De Blasio who has been reported to be a Hillary Clinton supporter, is quoted by the article as saying: "It has been reported to us from voters and voting rights monitors that the voting lists in Brooklyn contain numerous errors, including the purging of entire buildings and blocks of voters from the voting lists" and has asked for the purge to be reversed. He also said, "The perception that numerous voters may have been disenfranchised undermines the integrity of the entire electoral process and must be fixed".
On the other side, the Board of Elections top official Michael Ryan is quoted as saying: "We're not finding that there were issues throughout the city that are any different than what we experience in other elections." .. "Since the eyes and ears of the world are on New York, issues that are relatively routine for any election are receiving greater scrutiny".
The explanation he gives for 126,000 voters being taken off the rolls in Brooklyn is that 12,000 had moved out, 114,000 were inactive (two groups of inactive and already inactive) as judged by mails bouncing back or people not having voted in last two federal elections or people not responding to cancel notices.
But New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is quoted as taking a different and tough line from that of the Board of Elections top official Michael Ryan. Schneiderman said, "I am deeply troubled by the volume and consistency of voting irregularities, both in public reports and direct complaints to my office's voter hotline.".. "Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy, and if any New Yorker was illegally prevented from voting, I will do everything in my power to make their vote count and ensure that it never happens again".
Ravi: Well, don't know how the Attorney General can make the vote of those taken off the rolls unfairly (illegally), count now! The momentum has gone Hillary Clinton's way and even if some folks are allowed to vote now, it may only make for some small delegates allotted readjustment between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.
As http://edition.cnn.com/election/primaries/states/ny/Dem shows, of the 247 pledged delegates of New York state, Clinton is deemed to have won 139 delegates and Sanders, the remaining 108 delegates. The delegates won gap between the two is not that much, in stark contrast to the Republican New York state primary where Mr. Trump swept the table getting 89 of the 95 delegates on offer, with Gov. Kasich getting 3 and Senator Cruz getting zero [don't know about the 3 delegates of the 95 which are not yet allotted].
In Brooklyn (mouse hover shows these statistics), Clinton is shown as having won 174,236 votes (60%) and Sanders, 116,327 (40%). So Clinton has slightly less than 60,000 votes more than Sanders in Brooklyn. I guess that lead will not get closed by New York Attorney General allowing & counting some votes from those deemed illegally prevented from voting in Brooklyn in the democratic primary held on 19th April 2016. Perhaps even if all those who wanted to vote but whose names were removed from the democratic rolls, were allowed to vote, the gap of nearly 60,000 votes would not have got closed between Clinton and Sanders, in Brooklyn.
Please note that I have a NEUTRAL informal-student-observer role in these posts that I put up about the USA presidential elections. Of course, as I am an Indian citizen living in India, there is no question of me voting in these elections.
The article quotes Senator Bernie Sanders as saying, "It is absurd that in Brooklyn, New York -- where I was born, actually -- tens of thousands of people as I understand it, have been purged from the voting rolls".
New York City mayor Bill De Blasio who has been reported to be a Hillary Clinton supporter, is quoted by the article as saying: "It has been reported to us from voters and voting rights monitors that the voting lists in Brooklyn contain numerous errors, including the purging of entire buildings and blocks of voters from the voting lists" and has asked for the purge to be reversed. He also said, "The perception that numerous voters may have been disenfranchised undermines the integrity of the entire electoral process and must be fixed".
On the other side, the Board of Elections top official Michael Ryan is quoted as saying: "We're not finding that there were issues throughout the city that are any different than what we experience in other elections." .. "Since the eyes and ears of the world are on New York, issues that are relatively routine for any election are receiving greater scrutiny".
The explanation he gives for 126,000 voters being taken off the rolls in Brooklyn is that 12,000 had moved out, 114,000 were inactive (two groups of inactive and already inactive) as judged by mails bouncing back or people not having voted in last two federal elections or people not responding to cancel notices.
But New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is quoted as taking a different and tough line from that of the Board of Elections top official Michael Ryan. Schneiderman said, "I am deeply troubled by the volume and consistency of voting irregularities, both in public reports and direct complaints to my office's voter hotline.".. "Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy, and if any New Yorker was illegally prevented from voting, I will do everything in my power to make their vote count and ensure that it never happens again".
Ravi: Well, don't know how the Attorney General can make the vote of those taken off the rolls unfairly (illegally), count now! The momentum has gone Hillary Clinton's way and even if some folks are allowed to vote now, it may only make for some small delegates allotted readjustment between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.
As http://edition.cnn.com/election/primaries/states/ny/Dem shows, of the 247 pledged delegates of New York state, Clinton is deemed to have won 139 delegates and Sanders, the remaining 108 delegates. The delegates won gap between the two is not that much, in stark contrast to the Republican New York state primary where Mr. Trump swept the table getting 89 of the 95 delegates on offer, with Gov. Kasich getting 3 and Senator Cruz getting zero [don't know about the 3 delegates of the 95 which are not yet allotted].
In Brooklyn (mouse hover shows these statistics), Clinton is shown as having won 174,236 votes (60%) and Sanders, 116,327 (40%). So Clinton has slightly less than 60,000 votes more than Sanders in Brooklyn. I guess that lead will not get closed by New York Attorney General allowing & counting some votes from those deemed illegally prevented from voting in Brooklyn in the democratic primary held on 19th April 2016. Perhaps even if all those who wanted to vote but whose names were removed from the democratic rolls, were allowed to vote, the gap of nearly 60,000 votes would not have got closed between Clinton and Sanders, in Brooklyn.
Please note that I have a NEUTRAL informal-student-observer role in these posts that I put up about the USA presidential elections. Of course, as I am an Indian citizen living in India, there is no question of me voting in these elections.
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