Nick Reisman reports at New York State of Politics that after the 2020 presidential election, the possibility of a local election official ignoring some regulation, or just throwing out legal ballots has never seemed more real. State Sen. Peter Harckham has new proposals to make sure that does not happen because some official is related to a candidate. “We have to do as much as possible to ensure that elections throughout New York State are conducted with absolute integrity and unfailing protections of voters’ rights,” said Harckham. “The legislation I have introduced will enhance the professionalism at boards of elections and work to eliminate possible conflicts of interest. It’s time for the ideals of good governance, like transparency and accountability, to guide this critical sector of public service.” One of his proposed bills would classify all employees and officers of boards of elections in New York as public employees, forcing them to comply with hiring under civil service rules to combat nepotism and partisanship at the boards. Harckham also wants local boards of election workers to follow to the code of ethics for public workers. “People should be hired on the basis of what they know rather than on who they know,” Harckham said. “By removing the political leverage that partisans try to create in the boards of election, our election process will run more smoothly and center on fairness and accuracy.” Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.