De Blasio Calls For Voter Reform 'Action' After Reports Of Long Lines At NYC Polling Sites

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Mayor Bill de Blasio is once again calling for voter reform following reports of long lines at polling sites across the city on Tuesday.

There were reports of two hour waits at some places in New York City and lines could be seen stretching down the block at polling sites on the Upper East Side, Brooklyn, Harlem and other locations.

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The mayor himself had to wait in line when he voted with his wife Tuesday morning at the Park Slope library.

"We saw lines when we left the Upper East side, we're seeing lines here," he told 1010 WINS' Roger Stern.

He added that while he thinks "it's great" that people care enough to stand in line, "there's a better way."

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De Blasio, who last month said the state's voting system was "broken," then took to Twitter, saying: "I've seen your tweets about long lines and broken scanners. I hear you."

"Has it ever been clearer that we need voting reform?" he said in another tweet. "We need action here in New York State."

De Blasio has vowed to lead an effort to make it easier to vote in New York, urging the state to implement same-day voter registration, early voting and no-excuse absentee voting.

On Twitter, he said 37 states offer early voting to help avoid long lines. "There is no reason New York can't become 38."

"The work of democracy isn't limited to Election Day. We must continue to work to meet a voting standard worthy of all New Yorkers," he said in another tweet.

Comptroller Scott Stringer called for an audit of the Board of Elections after wide-scale issues were reported during the April state primaries.

In:
• Elections
• Bill de Blasio
• 2016 Election