Douglasa Kellner News Today

New York is on course to hold primaries in both June and August, potentially doubling the cost to taxpayers, after the state’s highest court ordered the Republican-hindering congressional and state Senate maps redrawn.

ALBANY — Lawmakers passed several bills this week to expand New Yorkers’ access to voting by absentee ballot and maintain a portal to track their submission as the COVID-19 pandemic

In New York State, voters have put up with plenty of mishaps in recent elections: hourslong waits at early voting sites; polling locations unreachable by public transportation; and a contested congressional race that dragged on for more than three months before being settled by a judge.

Ocean County Board of Commissioners is expected to award the contract for new voting machines to Dominion, against expert advice.

A comprehensive study of the cost of implementing New Jersey’s early voting law shows taxpayers will have to pony up $77 million — this year alone — just to pay for new voting machines and other essential hardware. That is almost four times the amount set aside in this year’s budget to finance the landmark law, and it does not include millions more needed for the hiring and training of poll workers, facility upgrades and a range of other ongoing expenses. “We’re very disappointed th...