Voting in Crown Heights (Photo: @sarahljaffe)

"We have some other type of crisis here, partially organized by Hurricane Sandy, partially organized by the Board of Elections," Assemblyman Alec Brook-Krasny told Politicker this morning, ticking off poll sites that did not receive machines until 8:04 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. respectively, over an hour after they were scheduled to open. "My question is, if they knew, if the Board of Elections knew yesterday this was the poll site that would be assigned today, were they sleeping this morning? It disenfranchises many people."

We asked if there might be a possibility of a re-do election.

"That is a possibility, I think," he answered, noting all of the Hurricane Sandy-induced chaos was in the Democratic parts of his district. "I have two parts of the district. Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights, which is conservative, and Coney Island and Sea Gate, which is much more liberal, and I'm a Democrat....This is all becoming totally ridiculous. This is not about me, of course. This is about 40,000 voters losing the right to vote."

But the problems extend far beyond Hurricane Sandy's path of devastation. Wendy Long, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, sent out a press release describing her woes while voting in Manhattan.

"This morning when I went to vote, a poll worker who was at the scanner, studied my private ballot and proceeded to tell me that it was rejected because I did not 'fill in every space,'" she said in a statement. "She then proceeded to indicate that I should mark the Democratic line all the way down. The poll worker said, 'you have to fill in all of THESE, all the way down," indicating the whole line at the far left of the ballot, saying 'you can't leave any blank.'"

Additionally, Councilman Jumaane Williams, who represents a neighborhood in Central Brooklyn, described even more chaos on his Twitter page:

Extremely concerned @boenyc at least 3 polls didn't open time. Got word another has machines not working. Can't imagine hard hit areas!

— Jumaane D. Williams (@JumaaneWilliams) November 6, 2012

Never received so many problems so early from so many places. PS 152 88 year old just left w/voting. @boenyc

— Jumaane D. Williams (@JumaaneWilliams) November 6, 2012

I overheard a #pollworker tell #voters to vote all #Democrat or all #Republican! Sigghhh... @boenyc. Training is also important.

— Jumaane D. Williams (@JumaaneWilliams) November 6, 2012

Help/media needed @ny1 @ny1desk @courtneycgross @boenyc massive confusion at Vanderveer Methodist Glenwood/Nostrand Ave twitter.com/JumaaneWilliam…

— Jumaane D. Williams (@JumaaneWilliams) November 6, 2012

From anecdotes and reports elsewhere across the city:

No working scanners here at Penn South. RT @rueby: RT @michaelpaulson: We are hearing multiple reports of failed ballot scanners around NYC.

— Nick Confessore (@nickconfessore) November 6, 2012

MS 51 poll-site is worst we've ever seen. Just sent @commoncauseny & NYPD 78th Pct over to try to maintain calm and take complaints @boenyc

— Brad Lander (@bradlander) November 6, 2012

2 out of 3 scanners jammed. No one knew how to fix them. 2 voters walked in and knew what to do. Scanners fixed. — Justin Brannan (@JustinBrannan) November 6, 2012

Confusion at a Park Slope polling site via @erik_engquist mycrains.crainsnewyork.com/blogs/insider/… — Andrew J. Hawkins (@andyjayhawk) November 6, 2012

Friend in Fort Greene says organizers outside polling place were insistent he had to vote straight R or D, argument ensued — Reid Pillifant (@reidpillifant) November 6, 2012

In line an hour and line has stopped. No one knows why. Freezing. #nyvote

— Andrea Bernstein (@AndreaWNYC) November 6, 2012

Super poll site in rockaway pk is functioning albeit with challenges generators now have gas so there is more light but no heat in tents

— Zack Fink (@ZackFinkNews) November 6, 2012

No working scanners here at Penn South. RT @rueby: RT @michaelpaulson: We are hearing multiple reports of failed ballot scanners around NYC.

— Nick Confessore (@nickconfessore) November 6, 2012

There are 300 or so on line at Friends of Crown Hts daycare center. 2 of 3 scanners broken #ny1votes yfrog.com/hwj0kofj

— Errol Louis (@errollouis) November 6, 2012

Broken machines, relocated voters cause huge lines at polling stations ow.ly/f46Td @dnainfo #Election2012

— Alan Neuhauser (@alneuhauser) November 6, 2012

line at my polling location [baruch college] goes through a lobby & weaves down four flights of stairs. #whoa #ny1votes

— Rosemary Shultz (@rshultz) November 6, 2012

The voting machines on 151st Amsterdam and St. Nicholas are jammed. We have to vote on paper ballots. Hundreds of people are waiting.

— Jenisha Watts (@iamjournalism) November 6, 2012

People are leaving the polls in Harlem.

— Jenisha Watts (@iamjournalism) November 6, 2012

We have recruited & trained 36,000 poll workers. We appreciate your patience in these challenging circumstances #nycvotes #ny1votes #nyvotes

— NYCBoardOfElections (@BOENYC) November 6, 2012

A voting site in the Rockaways. (photo: @joshingnyc)

The Coney Island neighborhood of Brooklyn was among the hardest-hit areas by Hurricane Sandy last week and the storm's impact is being felt as voters head to the polls today. As a result of the hurricane damage, many of Coney Island's poll sites were changed, but according to reports on the scene, the Election Day chaos in the neighborhood sounds far worse than the planned changes.

"PS  370, which is supposed to be the 'super' Coney Isand poll site, there are areas where they don't have the books to sign in, so people have to vote via affidavit," one operative on the ground told Politicker. "Every poll site got up late. They don't even have real police officers here, they have the recruits, police academy. They have no clue what to do, they've never done it before. Every site got off late because police academy got off late to open up. One of the new sites....it's supposed to be a site, but the machines aren't there."

This account was echoed by other reports in Coney Island, and similar tales of voting issues in the Rockaways, which was also devastated by the hurricane.

For example, Councilman David Greenfield tweeted that, of the three polling sites opened in Coney Island, two were without ballots. And New York 1 anchor Roger Clark said the Lincoln High School site in the neighborhood didn't open until 40 minutes after the official start time of 6 a.m.

Yet another politico, Josh Silverstein, indicated one of four sites was open in the Rockaway area of Queens, also opened 40 minutes late. NY1 reporter Zack Fink reported the generator in the neighborhood's main site had failed, and people who lined up to vote were unable to do so. Although voting at the location is  apparently proceeding a bit more smoothly since.

Meanwhile, the Board of Elections admitted today is going to be a bumpy ride in a message posted to the agency's Twitter account a few minutes ago that said, "We appreciate your patience as we sort out what will undoubtedly be a challenging Election Day."

Rockaway, Queens. (Photo: Getty)

Earlier this afternoon, "a group of irate Orthodox community leaders" held a conference call to protest poll site changes implemented in the Far Rockaway neighborhood of Queens. In the call, local Jewish leaders alleged their new voting location was designed to dampen turnout in their ideologically conservative community as it struggles to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy's devastation.

"We're a group of people who really, really suffered tremendously," Richard Altabe, a board member of the Far Rockaway Jewish Alliance, said. "Or voting rights are about to be taken away from us. It's going to be difficult enough to get people to vote....Our ability to speak and have our voices heard is going to be squashed by circumstances. I'm really, really horrified."

The new poll site in Far Rockaway, the leaders said, was a mile away from their current one. Eli Shapiro, of the Far Rockaway Jewish Alliance, claimed they presented a closer, alternative site to the Board of Elections but were shut down

"We've been told that the Democratic commissioner won't sign off on the change of location," Mr. Shapiro said, but he was unable to elaborate further on the specifics.

Mr. Shapiro and Mr. Altabe both represent organizations that formally endorsed GOP Councilman Eric Ulrich's campaign against Democratic Senator Joe Addabbo, which is among the most highly-watched in the entire state. Mr. Ulrich's campaign organized the conference call.

"Absolutely. Why else did they do that? Why else would they disenfranchise a community?" Mr. Altabe said when asked if it was a conspiracy to boost Mr. Addabbo's reelection bid. "I would not like to believe that Joe Addabbo himself would want such a thing. Even though we supported one candidate over the other, we don't believe Joe Addabbo to be an evil person."

Others have also sounded the alarm over the BOE's Election Day plans tomorrow, including Mayor Michael Bloomberg. As of this writing, the Board took down their list of poll site changes online, and the hotline number for more information, 1-866-VOTE-NYC, results in a dial tone. An alternative number provided by good goverment groups, 1-866-OUR-VOTE, is available, however.

BOE Commissioner J.C. Polanco said his agency is working "around the clock" to ensure all New Yorkers can vote tomorrow.

Mayor Bloomberg touring the damage in Queens. (Photo: Getty)

During a press conference updating New Yorkers on the latest developments in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Mayor Michael Bloomberg also addressed arrangements made for Election Day this Tuesday. As at least 60 polling sites are without electricity or are otherwise compromised by storm damage, a number of last-minute decisions have been implemented by the Board of Elections. Needless to say, Mr. Bloomberg did not sound confident.

"The Board of Elections tells us that about 143,000 voters in all five boroughs will be assigned to poll sites different from their usual site," he explained. “Over the next day, it's going to be critical that the Board of Elections communicates this new information to their poll workers. Unfortunately, as you know, the Board has had a history of not opening all poll sites on time."

(Find out if your polling site has been moved here.)

Mr. Bloomberg made sure to note the city's Board of Elections is managed by the political parties, not his administration.

"As you know, the mayor's office does not run the Board of Elections, I've always believed the Board of Elections should be overhauled to increase its accountability and efficiency," he said. "The fact that the board has been unable to agree on selecting a new executive director for two years, shows just how dysfunctional it is. The difficulties that they've had preparing for Tuesday, I think further underscores that."

This was not the first time he's been critical; Mr. Bloomberg called the Board among “the most easily corruptible” in the world in the wake of the primary elections earlier this year.

Later in the press briefing, a reporter asked the mayor how confident he was in the agency's ability to pull off the election in less than 48 hours.

"I have absolutely no idea," he answered.

Officials said the almost-illegible text on the very bottom of the poster was what many voters were presented with last Thursday.

On the steps of City Hall earlier this afternoon, council members and good-government advocates gathered to "sound the alarm" over problems that occurred during the September 13 primary elections, and urged both the Board of Elections and legislative bodies to act promptly to rectify the situation before November's presidential election, when far more people are set to vote.

Councilman Jumaane Williams, who tweeted up a storm of frustration last Election Day and who led today's event, urged everyone to pay particular attention to the tiny font size used on the ballots, which he said was significantly smaller than in past elections and created substantial problems for seniors unable to read the letters. To prove his point, he pointed to a poster that illustrated the smallness of the font. His colleague, Councilman Vinnie Gentile, channeled Jimmy McMillan, exclaiming, “The font is too damn small!"

A host of other problems were cited as well, including poll workers giving inaccurate information and improperly sending others to the wrong polling location, which allegedly led to a number of voters to give up in frustration.

Also on hand at today's press conference was Board of Elections Commissioner J.C. Polanco, a Bronx Republican who's become a bit of an antagonist to the board's critics since elected officials blasted the city's vote-counting operations in the wake of the June 26 congressional primaries.

"I couldn't stay quiet," Mr. Polanco told Politicker about his new media-friendly role. "There was misinformation being given."

Of today's event, he said, "There were some things at the press conference today that were unfortunately misguided." Mr. Polanco argued the Legislature is responsible for all of the election woes described and said the BOE was more than happy to work with lawmakers to fix the problems.

Of course, the State Legislature in Albany is not known for fixing election problems. Notably, State Senate refused to move the state's primaries to the same date as the federal election after losing a lawsuit, instead choosing to hold two separate primaries despite the expense and confusion involved.

We asked Common Cause's Susan Lerner why she is optimistic anything can be accomplished when it's more than possible some powerful political forces prefer lower voter turnout.

"What's the alternative? That we say nothing can change?" she rhetorically asked. "This is actually something easy for them to change."

"BOE found more paper ballots on floor. Cool!" the Espaillat campaign's spokesman tweeted Friday evening.

State Senator Adriano Espaillat certainly can't be be accused of sitting down after his reported loss to veteran Rep. Charlie Rangel in last Tuesday's Democratic primary. As Mr. Rangel's lead whittled down to just 802 votes over the weekend, the Espaillat campaign hired election law guru Marty Connor and promoted a hotline available for voters to register complaints about Election Day shenanigans. A State Supreme Court will hear an injunction request from Mr. Espaillat today and the Board of Elections will start counting more than 2,000 affidavit ballots Thursday morning.

“As the New York State Supreme Court considers the serious voting-access and counting issues in the 13th Congressional District election, we are pleased to welcome Marty Connor to lead our legal team,” Mr. Espaillat's spokesman, Ibrahim Khan, said in a press release. “Our campaign will continue to push for every vote to be counted in a transparent and democratic process.”

And Mr. Connor, a former Minority Leader of the New York State Senate, certainly has experience in close elections. He was recently the lead lawyer for Lew Fidler's ultimately unsuccessful state senate campaign where the winning margin was a mere 13 votes.

Mr. Espaillat's campaign also made a statement available from the Dominican American National Roundtable, which called for the U.S. Department of Justice to step in and monitor the proceedings and provided a hotline available for individuals to share anecdotes of voter suppression. Mr. Espaillat, who would be the first Dominican American congressman if elected, had his largest base of support in the Dominican community.

“As a national organization that closely monitors public affairs in the Latino community, in general, and the Dominican Community, in particular, we have witnessed disturbing allegations of voter suppression and lack of transparency in the 13th Congressional District election,” Dr. Maria Teresa Montilla, the organization's president, said. “We are calling on the United States Department of Justice to take immediate action to monitor the Board of Elections’ proceedings and resolve issues that threaten the constitutionally guaranteed voting rights of all Americans. We are also appealing to any voters who encountered any barriers to the ballot box, including misinformation and lack of interpretation services, to call-in to a voter hotline we have established and help us document voter suppression complaints.”

For its part, Mr. Rangel's campaign has maintained confidence that their candidate will be returning to Washington next year. This is a fairly rational position as that 802-vote margin will be a very tall order for Mr. Espaillat to make up.