It's not exactly the way New Yorkers are used to voting, but the city Board of Elections is saying it may need some new machines now that voters will head to the polls early this year.

"One of the things that the Board of Elections must evaluate in the context of this process is ballot delivery," Michael Ryan, the executive director of the city Board of Elections, said at a meeting Tuesday.

Officials argue they may not be able to keep millions of paper ballots on hand for different election districts at early polling sites across the city this fall.

So on Tuesday they saw some alternatives, like an on-demand ballot printer. It prints a ballot in 30 seconds after a voter checks in. There is a question of whether those ballots meet state requirements.


Then there's the ExpressVote XL, which is made by city's current machine vendor: Election Systems and Software (ES&S). The state has not fully tested this machine, which operates on a touch screen. Last week, the head of the Board of Elections and his deputy sent a letter to state officials asking if they could use the machine this fall even though it hasn't been approved by the state.

That request came after NY1 uncovered last year the head of the board of elections was sitting on an advisory board for Election Systems and Software, getting flown around the country and put up in hotels to attend conferences.

Ryan wouldn't take any of our questions Tuesday. Other board members told us they haven't picked a favorite just yet.

------

Looking for an easy way to learn about the issues affecting New York City?

Listen to our "Off Topic/On Politics" podcast: Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Spotify | iHeartRadio | Stitcher | RSS