The picture below shows voting machines being unloaded by our local custodians and a County Board of Elections employee at one of the Saratoga Springs polling sites.

The Saratoga Springs Accounts Department is responsible for managing election logistics in the city. Among other duties, the city is responsible for picking up the voting machines from the Saratoga County Board of Elections in Ballston Spa the day prior to elections and delivering them to the city’s polling sites. According to officials at the Board of Elections, no one from the city showed up this morning (Monday, 6/27) to pick up the machines. Primary elections for candidates for state offices are scheduled for Tuesday, June 28.

As long as anyone can remember the Saratoga County Board of Elections has notified the Accounts Department that the machines are ready for pick up. The Accounts Department has then notified the Department of Public Works which has sent an employee to Ballston Spa to transport the machines using a truck provided by the County Board of Elections. According to Public Works Commissioner Jason Golub, DPW was not notified by the Department of Accounts to pick up the machines. The County Board of Elections confirmed that they had notified the Accounts Department as usual and had delivered the supply bags for the election to the Accounts Department on Friday.

When no one from the city showed up this morning to pick up the truck with the machines, the Board of Elections stepped in and assigned one of their employees to drive the machines to Saratoga. Once in Saratoga, the truck was met as usual by the city’s four “custodians”, two Democrats and two Republicans who work for the county Board of Elections but are recommended by the chairs of the local political committees. The custodians’ job is to assist in delivering the voting machines and setting them up in each of the city’s polling sites.

I have emailed Accounts Commissioner Dillon Moran asking why there was a problem this morning. When I get his response, I will post it.