New York City’s Department of Investigation is setting up a unit to investigate the Board of Elections.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and others have long accused the Board of Elections of waste and fraud.

The Department of Investigation says the board had wasted $2.4 million in city funds by overstaffing poll sites for an off-year election in November 2011.

Bloomberg said Wednesday that the new oversight body “certainly can’t hurt.”

The new investigatory unit will have a staff of six and a budget of $824,000.

The Department of Investigation hopes to have the unit running by September.

The city is preparing to hold a mayoral election in November. There will be a primary on Sept. 10 and a possible runoff scheduled for Sept. 24.

(AP)