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Table of Contents

I. Introduction

   Table One: Survey Highlights

II. Summary of Findings

III. Detailed Findings

The New York City Voter Agony Index
Table Two: Agony Index Borough Breakdown
Improper Knowledge of Identification Requirements by Poll Site Coordinators
Improper Asking of Identification From Voters by Poll Inspectors
Voters Name Not Found in Poll Book
Broken Machines
Poll Worker Instructions: Problems Inside the Booth
Affidavit Ballots: Good News Outside the Booth

IV. Background

V. The Report

VI. Recommendations

Appendix A: Survey Form and Instructions
Appendix B: Supplemental Poll Monitoring Survey
Appendix C: Detailed Methodology
Appendix D: Suggested List of Identification Documents

Credits

Download Full Report as PDF

I. Introduction

For the third time in four years, civic groups mounted a massive Election Day survey to gauge how voters were treated in New York City. Surveyors, who were assigned to 174 randomly selected Election Districts across the city had two primary tasks:

• Ask 10 voters leaving each polling site to complete a questionnaire about their voting experience; and
• Ask the Board of Elections' "Poll Site Coordinator" at their site a simple three-part question concerning voting rights and the new identification requirements required of certain first-time voters.
• We found troubling results at poll sites across the city that confirm what New Yorkers and the civic community have been saying for years – too many voters face too many problems on Election Day. Major report findings are highlighted in Table One, summarized in Section II and detailed in Section V.
• In all, 1740 voters were surveyed about their election experiences at approximately 12% of the city's poll sites. Additionally, at 161 of the sites, Poll Site Coordinators answered our survey questions regarding new voter ID requirements. This sample also represents a significant fraction – 12% – of the city's 1,335 Poll Site Coordinators.

Table One: Survey Highlights

Our Voter Agony Index found that 13% of voters surveyed experienced an "agonizing" problem at the polls such as a broken machine or chaotic poll site. In our survey, Manhattan fared worst on the Agony Index with 19% of voters reporting a major problem. Staten Island and Queens fared best at 7%. Forty five percent of Board of Elections' Poll Site Coordinators surveyed failed to correctly answer questions about new identification requirements required of certain voters. Six percent of voters surveyed were unjustly asked to produce identification at the polls on November 2 nd. Five percent of voters surveyed relayed to surveyors that, while properly registered, they did not find their name in the poll books on November 2 nd. Nearly half of all voters surveyed (48.6%) reported that Board of Elections workers failed to ask if they needed help in operating the voting machine, in violation of Board policy. While 93% of voters surveyed described their poll sites as either "calm and quiet" or "busy & orderly," 7% of voters described their polling sites as either "confusing" or "chaotic." Poll workers did a good job distributing paper (Affidavit) ballots to voters. Virtually all voters surveyed were offered this option if problems arose with their registrations.

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