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Albany County Legislature Votes To Move Board Of Elections To South End

lbany County Executive Dan McCoy at the podium outside the DMV on South Pearl Street, Albany.
WAMC photo by Dave Lucas
lbany County Executive Dan McCoy at the podium outside the DMV on South Pearl Street, Albany. (2018)

The long-awaited move of the Albany County Board of Elections has gotten the go-ahead.

The Albany County Legislature voted Monday 28-10 in support of relocating the Board of Elections to the former Department of Motor Vehicles site on South Pearl St.

The BOE is currently located in a Russell Road building that costs the county rent, utilities and other costs. Albany County Executive Dan McCoy:  "It saves the taxpayers roughly about $400,000 a year, if not more, and most importantly with historic low voting turnout, especially in certain communities. This will really enhance that opportunity for us to educate people get them registered and get them out to vote."

The move is estimated to provide a savings of $100,000 in 2019. The Democratic and Republican BOE commissioners oppose the move.  Neither returned calls for comment.

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.
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