What Went Wrong on Election Day and How to Fix It

For many New Yorkers, voting in the midterm elections was a chaotic and miserable experience this year, due to hours-long lines, busted ballot machines and a lack of clear communication from poll workers and government officials.

The causes of the problems are myriad: New York City Board of Elections boss Michael Ryan has so far blamed the humidity, the aging scanners and the double-sided, extra-long ballot. Critics have pinned the problem on missteps on the Board of Elections, calling it a "patronage system" in need of a major overhaul. New York's voting laws are widely considered to be among the most regressive in the country and that didn't not help matters either.