NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday said he may send National Guard troops to polling locations throughout New York State on Election Day to ensure voters are allowed to cast ballots.
In a virtual news conference, Cuomo said he offered assistance to local election boards that have been struggling to prepare for the Nov. 3 election both “financially and staffing-wise.”
“The situation is, the boards of elections are doing something different this year, and we went through one election and that election showed a lot of issues for the local boards,” the governor said.
Cuomo said he told the boards of election to “tell us what you need.”
“If you need people to help administer, then tell us and we’ll help you get the bodies,” the governor added. “We can use National Guard personnel to help. We can use other state employees to help.”
Cuomo said many local government employees have a lessened workload and could step in to help with elections, if need be.
“We have personnel that we can make available but, they have to tell us what they need, and they have to be organized,” Gov. Cuomo said.
Local BOE offices have until late Monday evening to submit their staffing plans for the November presidential election.
The governor said “if they need bodies, we can provide them bodies.”