Outrage over cost of unnecessary primary | Politics

No doubt, Mitt Romney is happy with the results of yesterday's republican primary here in New York.

But, the extremely low turnout and the extremely high cost of the election have some officials upset.

$25 million, that was the cost to taxpayers statewide. Only about six per cent of eligible republican voters showed up to vote.  And we have three more elections this year alone

In Rensselaer County the turnout was just over 6% election inspectors had very little to do

The chairman of the Rensselaer County Legislature said yesterday's primary cost taxpayers $40,000,

The cost in Albany county $200,000 and the cost in Schenectady county $45,000 and there is still two more primaries one in June, the other in September.

This is all because state lawmakers could not agree on a single date for congressional and state races taxpayers will suffer

The inevitability of Romney’s victory, after Rick Santorum’s departure from the race, is what really kept republicans home yesterday but Albany County still had to pay 55 cents for each ballot that went unused and by law each election district had to be staffed with four inspectors that's 1288 inspectors, with each getting $100 for the day

Albany County's democratic elections commissioner said he does agree with those who wish that state lawmakers had been able to put politics aside, and hold just one primary this summer, instead of two more.

Both of the upcoming primaries, in June and then again in September, will cost $25 million each, just as yesterday's did, and all of that cost will be borne by local taxpayers, not by the state lawmakers who were unable to agree.

In 20 election districts no one voted. No one. But in each of those districts, by law, they had to have four election inspectors at $100 for the day.