(Brooklyn, NY) -- Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn released the following statement after the New York City Board of Elections released new numbers in the democratic primary race, which showed a "discrepancy" in the count during the ranked-choice voting round-by-round elimination report:
"This week the people of New York were, again, let down by a system that has left voters doubting the merit of their votes. The Board of Elections was unprepared to execute a ranked-choice voting system of this scale.
As an ardent advocate of election reform and upholding our voting rights, I support changes that would prevent a repeat of the debacle that occurred this week with ranked-choice voting, including changes to the structure of the Board. I am demanding an independent, non-partisan panel be established to see what changes we need going forward, both in the Board and in order to implement and prepare for ranked-choice voting.
Voter disenfranchisement is not a new phenomenon. In 2020 we experienced a new wave of voting rights attacks that rang alarm bells. In New York City we must do all we can to ensure that no voter falls victim to this and that the integrity of our elections is always upheld. We need full participation in our democracy and that starts with assuring voters that their voice is heard and their vote is validated at the polls. That is why I am in the process of introducing state legislation reforms in Albany, as well as supporting a number of reforms introduced by my colleagues."
