Clinton Hill Residents Struggle to Cast NY Primary Ballots

For more, see: NYC Election Day Chaos: City Officials 'Deeply Concerned' Over 'Mass Voter Roll Purging'

CLINTON HILL, BROOKLYN — Numerous locals who showed up to vote at Public School 11 in Clinton Hill Tuesday had to fill out affidavit ballots because poll workers couldn't find their names on their district's voting rolls.

DNAinfo was first to report Tuesday afternoon that several voters who live on the same stretch of Lafayette Avenue weren't listed at their polling location as registered voters.

On Tuesday evening, Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo, who represents the neighborhood, spoke with poll workers at the school, located at 419 Waverly Ave.

According to Cumbo, a "significantly high number of affidavit votes" were cast Tuesday at PS 11.

Patch also spoke with workers staffing three of the polling location's five election districts.

As of 7 p.m., District 34 was reporting 25 affidavit votes cast out of nearly 450 overall. (A poll worker also said about six people not on the rolls left without voting, out of frustration.)

Meanwhile, District 40 estimated about 37 affidavit ballots were cast out of around 300 in total, and District 39 reported approximately 30 affidavit ballots were cast out of a total of about 360.

One poll worker said that some, but not all, of the affidavit ballots in her district were cast by people who had moved without re-registering.

Asked if the affidavit voters tended to come from particular streets, workers mentioned Clinton Avenue, Washington Avenue, Lafayette Avenue, Gates Avenue, and Cambridge Place.

One Fulton Street resident who wasn't on the rolls said he thought he last voted in 2012. Even so, he said, he's lived at his current address for years.

"As long as it counts, I'm fine," he said before filling out the affidavit.

Lili Weiss, another affidavit voter, wasn't so sanguine.

Weiss, 24, said she had double-checked her designated polling location with the city Tuesday after hearing about polling problems throughout Brooklyn.

Weiss said the city had her listed as an active voter who should report to PS 11 — but when she arrived, she said, her name wasn't on the Board of Election's rolls.

Weiss said she was "really pissed off" and "profoundly disturbed in our electoral process."

She also said she was disappointed that Tuesday's presidential primary results in New York State would be tarnished by questions about voting irregularities.

"The system is broken," she said.

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