PHOTO: An audit conducted by City Comptroller Stringer’s office has determined that the BOE doesn’t have accurate records of over 1,450 pieces of election and office equipment, raising alarms that property could be stolen or go missing without anyone noticing. Courtesy of YouTube/BZDug
By Forum Staff
The City Board of Elections doesn’t have accurate records of more than 1,450 pieces of election and office equipment, according to a new audit released this week by City Comptroller Scott Stringer.
The inaccurate records, Stringer noted, raises alarms that property could be stolen or go missing without anyone noticing. Without proper inventory controls, the BOE can’t guarantee that all election day materials will get to where they are intended and operations won’t be impeded, the comptroller said.
The City’s inventory control guidelines require the BOE to register all of its equipment on inventory records, according to Stringer. The audit examined how well it is meeting the responsibilities, sampling 5,042 out of 11,146 total BOE items from July 1, 2013 through Feb. 3, 2016. Auditors visited five locked warehouses maintained by the BOE, the Board’s main office in Manhattan, and five borough offices.
More than 1,100 pieces of equipment not properly tagged and identified
Auditors discovered 1,176 items that had not been properly tagged with identification markings and asset control numbers, a significant lapse that, Stringer noted, leaves them vulnerable to theft or the possibility that voting operations may be hindered. These included 463 computers, 449 monitors, 23 laptops, 232 printers and 9 tablets.
Nearly 300 pieces of election and office equipment not on inventory lists
The audit uncovered 287 pieces of voting and office equipment, including 177 purchased since 2014, which were physically located at BOE facilities but weren’t listed on its current inventory records. These items included 45 computers, 127 monitors, nine laptops, 85 printers, five tablets, 12 televisions and four voting machines.
Missing monitors, laptops and printers
Overall, auditors identified 11 missing items, including three monitors, two laptops, four printers, a tablet and a television set. When BOE was asked to locate the 11 items, officials said they would attempt to find them but as of the date of the final audit release, no information was forthcoming, Stringer said.
The audit made a series of recommendations to BOE, including that they find missing items, maintain complete and accurate records, update its inventory records in real time, conduct an annual inventory of major electronic equipment, tag all of its property and ensure its inventory procedures follow City standards.
The audit comes six weeks after the New York presidential primaries. BOE was perhaps the biggest loser of the day as widespread reports of broken ballot machines, closed or disorganized polling sites, and outdated voter rolls prompted Stringer to vow to immediately audit the operations and management of the embattled agency.
“Just as the Board of Elections may have let thousands of voters slip through the cracks in the most recent election, they’ve bungled the job when it comes to keeping track of their electronic election and office equipment,” Stringer said. “Every New Yorker deserves to have their voice heard at the polls and this equipment is essential to running elections smoothly and making sure that happens. Maintaining an accurate inventory is critical to transparency, integrity and accountability at any government agency, and on this count BOE is clearly absentee.”
