Video Vault: Election Attorney Raises Concerns Over NY Ballot Law

South Shore Press Managing Editor Stefan Mychajliw spoke with Holtzman Vogel attorney Joseph T. Burns, a former legal counsel to the New York State Board of Elections, about election administration in California and New York.

Stefan Mychajliw: California's last gubernatorial election took days to determine a winner. What went wrong?

Joe Burns: It made national headlines because there wasn't a good way to defend the system. People on both the right and the left were frustrated that it took so many days to count ballots and determine winners.

Stefan Mychajliw: If millions of votes can be counted quickly on television shows or in other states, why does California take so long?

Joe Burns: Election administration is handled at the state level, and California created this system itself. The delays are the result of the procedures California chose to adopt.

Stefan Mychajliw: Your South Shore Press op-ed says New York has its own problems.

Joe Burns: The biggest issue is New York's 2021 change to absentee ballot laws. Before then, voters, candidates, and party leaders could object to questionable absentee ballots. That safeguard was removed, making challenges and court review far more difficult.

Stefan Mychajliw: Can you give readers specific examples?

Joe Burns: Last year, a close Republican primary in Brooklyn uncovered ballots cast in the names of deceased individuals. Two years earlier, prosecutors alleged fraudulent absentee ballot applications in a Queens Democratic primary. Those cases show why scrutiny matters.

Stefan Mychajliw: Why should voters care?

Joe Burns: Those problems were uncovered only because investigators, prosecutors, and the media kept digging. My concern is that reducing opportunities to question absentee ballots reduces transparency, public confidence, and accountability.

Stefan Mychajliw: What's the bottom line?

Joe Burns: Election integrity depends on rules allowing questionable ballots to be examined, challenged when appropriate, and resolved through an open, bipartisan process. Voters deserve confidence every lawful ballot counts.