A Bronx lawmaker demanded the resignation of a City Board of Elections official for linking minorities to voter fraud.
Manhattan Board of Elections Commissioner Alan Schulkin was secretly recorded claiming Mayor de Blasio’s municipal ID program was contributing to “all kinds of fraud” while also endorsing a stricter Voter ID program in New York to deter voter fraud.
During a discussion with an undercover videographer from the Conservative group Project Veritas last December, Schulkin also said busloads of people in minority neighborhoods are taken from “poll site to poll site.” When the undercover videotaper asked if this happened in Black and Hispanic neighborhoods, the Commissioner answered, “Yeah . . . and Chinese, too,” according to the video tape. He also talked about how Muslims can hide their identify in burkas.
Bronx Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda said Schulkin said the comments make Schulkin unfit to be a Democratic representative on the Elections Board. “His comments about alleged voter fraud coming from Black, Latino Asian and Muslim communities reeks of racism and is factually incorrect,” said Sepulveda. “There is minimal evidence of voter fraud. Schulkin’s comments were disgraceful and demonstrate that he is incompetent to serve as a Commissioner. Resign immediately!”
A spokesman for Mayor de Blasio also took strong exception to the Commissioner’s comments. “These allegations are not only false, they’re racist. Voter fraud fear-mongering is a right-wing smokescreen designed to not only disenfranchise the poor and people of color, but thwart efforts to deliver sorely needed electoral reforms in New York and across country. New Yorkers deserve public officials who are committed to defending democracy, not undermining it,” said spokesman Austin Finan.
Finan shot down Schulkin’s claim that the Municipal ID program is susceptible to fraud, saying there are appropriate safeguards. “Got my @IDNYC earlier this year. They didn’t just hand it over. Application and enrollment requirements were significant and appropriate,” he said.
Schulkin was appointed in 2014 with the support of Council Speaker Melissa Mark Viverito, and Manhattan Council members Corey Johnson, Margaret Chin, Mark Levine, and Ydanis Rodriguez, sources said. Manhattan Democratic Party leader Keith Wright supported another candidate, but lost out in the power struggle with the Council leadership , sources said. “It’s very disturbing what I’ve been reading in the paper — if true,” Wright said of Schulkin.
Mark Viverito issued a terse statement saying Schulkin’s comments are “uninformed opinions have no basis in fact.”
A City Hall official said Schulkin is not likely to be reappointed when his term is up at year’s end.
Schulkin addressed the controversy during a Board of Elections Committee meeting on Tuesday. He said he doesn’t have a racist bone in his body and claimed his secretly recorded videotaped comments were taken out of context.
Meanwhile, Republicans pounced on Schulkin remarks as reason to tackle Voter fraud.“If there is evidence of voter fraud, we should hold a hearing on it. If a Board of Elections commissioner says we need a voter ID law, we should explore the idea and make recommendations to the state Legislature,” said City Councilman Joe Borelli (R-SI).
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
