Up-date: Adriano vs. Charlie / Charlie advs. Adriano

Your correspondent was at the N.Y.C. Board of Elections commissioners’ meeting Tuesday, 3 July, ’12, and at the Supreme Court proceeding the day before. I spoke with a number of reporters and listened to their questioning. With the exception of the Daily News man, those reporters knew nothing about the State's Election Law nor understood the convoluted proceedings. The N.Y. Times woman came from the Arts section of her newspaper. There were a good number of--as they called themselves--interns (cubs they were called in my day). The political Board of Elections and their permanent workers leave much to be desired (Civil Service exams anyone? Hello, Geo. Pendleton & Bridgeman Eaton!), and the E.L. requires up-dating to account for today's electronic medium. The problem lies mainly with the poor recording of results from the scanners by the poll workers (many of whom appointed here to their position by Espaillat and Rangel district Party leaders) augmented peradventure with inaccurate N.Y.P.D. entries and incomplete A.P. data. The Daily News is pushing the use of the U.S.B.s (“flash drives”) in the scanners to report results, which would not be any worse than--and in most cases--more nearly accurate, for "instant" returns. There's always the paper ballot trail should there be a close election or need for a recount.

Now, Let's address the N.Y.C. Board of Elections issue. They are proceeding properly and in accordance with the Election Law. The law provides for absentee ballots to arrive up to seven days after a Primary election. It provides for a recanvass. It provides for official certification at a set time. And I am no fan of the Board of Elections, whose politically appointed commissioners pool their ignorance--go watch a board meeting! So, who are those poll workers? They were in the main appointed by Rangel's and Espaillat's Democratic Party district leaders (and both Rangel and Espaillat are also district leaders--no Reformers, they!--why do they have to hold on to that meaningless party position today especially when they hold bigger and better public office?).
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The Board of Election evolution went from protecting their parties by manipulating procedures to not understanding the procedures to administer election. With all the technology available to them, they do not know how to work it. It is incompetence, not corruption. -–Anonymous.
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Thurs., 5th July, 2012
New York Daily News "On-line" Blog by Celeste "Pebbles" Katz

Charlie Rangel/Adriano Espaillat Vote Count Proceeds; A New NY-13 Primary Not Ruled Out

BY Celeste Katz

Board of Elections officials began the slow task of counting absentee and paper ballots Thursday -- as the fate of Rep. Charles Rangel’s political career hung in the balance.

Our Ross, Durkin and Lemire report:

With Rangel holding just a tiny 802-vote margin over state Sen. Adriano Espaillat (D-Manhattan), the winner of the Congressional seat that Rangel has held for 41 years could be decided by more than 2,000 paper ballots.

Officials at the Board’s Manhattan office started opening envelopes Thursday morning. (Photo Credit: Erin Durkin/NYDN)

Update: Durkin tweets that with one AD counted (the 69th), Rangel's lead has jumped to 837. The AD had 47 votes for the incumbent and 12 for the challenger.

But the drama over the 13th Congressional district was not confined to the Board of Elections’ Varick St. office as Espaillat’s lawyers also took to a Bronx courthouse to charge voter suppression at the polls.

Espaillat filed a motion earlier this week alleging voter fraud, asking for recount — and even suggesting a do-over election.

Judge John W. Carter [Acting Supreme Court, Bronx County, Criminal Division], did not weigh in on any voting irregularities but agreed to sign a preliminary order that forced the Board of Election to preserve all of the evidence from the election - including a slew of invalidated ballots.

Those ballots could dramatically alter the race’s final count, according to Espaillat’s supporters.