The Saratoga New York County Board of Supervisors disregarded the Pleas from the Public on Tuesday afternoon to break down Barriers to Voting by Supporting Gov. Andrew's Cuomo's call for Early Voting and Automatic Voter Registration through the Depart of Motor Vehicles (DMV). In a vote 21 to 2, the Supervisors Rejected the State's call for both Reforms because they are too Costly, too Confusing and, they believe, don't Increase Voter Turnout.
"It's just another unfunded mandate," Hadley Supervisor Arthur "Mo" Wright said. "Voting now is convenient. It's very easy to register. If you can't go to the polls, you can use an absentee ballot. We did our due diligence on this. We support more voter registration. But there is no funding."
But New York doesn't recognize No-Excuse Absentee Ballots.
People in the Crowd that came to the Board's Monthly Meeting Disagreed, saying it's Imperative to Support Early Voting and Automatic Registration to make Voting Easier. Anything short of Support is an attempt to Suppress the Vote. "It's your job, your patriotic duty to do this," said Larry Fine of Greenfield. "Do it for your family, your friends, the county. Any reason you chose not to support it, will be remembered." The Rev. Joseph Cleveland of Wilton said that it's necessary to "enfranchise as many eligible voters as possible." "These are two important tools to remove barriers to democracy," Cleveland said. "Saratoga County should do all it can to encourage everyone to participate. We need to work to make a place for everyone at our table."
Saratoga Springs Supervisors Tara Gaston and Matthew Veitch were the only Two Supervisors to Vote against the Measure. "We listened to the comments from the public today. We also got 50 emails," Gaston said. "Voting is a hallmark, a benchmark of our democracy. I am proud to say that Supervisor Veitch and I want to make voting easier."
Clifton Park Supervisor Phil Barrett said it's already easy and that it would be a Burden on the County to make available One Polling Place for every 50,000 Voters. He mentioned that the One-Time $7 million proposed by the State must be shared by every County and that it would be Costly for Saratoga County going forward. He also said there is a Shortage of Poll Workers.
Republican Board of Elections Commissioner Roger Schiera, who came at the Invitation of Board of Supervisors Chair Ed Kinowski, said it would Cost the County between $800,000 to $1 Million to implement Early Voting and Automatic Registration. He said the changes Increase Costs for Mailers, Printed Ballots, Voting Machines and Extra Election Inspectors. He could not Supply a Cost Analysis to Gaston who asked for one.
The Vote coincides with the Saratoga County League of Women Voter's event at Skidmore College on Tuesday night. Christopher Deluzio, Counsel with the Brennan Center for Justice Democracy Program at New York University Law, spoke on the History of Voter Suppression in America. Prior to the Talk, he said that Automatic Voter Registration, now available in Nine States and the District of Columbia, increases Turnout. And allowing Automatic Voter Registration to be Implemented by DMV is Efficient and Cost-Effective. "We support both early voting and automatic registration because there are substantial benefits to both for the voters," Deluzio said. "In Oregon where it was implemented, there was a substantial improvement in voter turnout. There was greater access to the polls."
Deluzio's Research also found that it alleviated Long Lines, Reduced Poll Workers' Stress, and Identified Registration Errors before Election Day.
Rick Hasenauer of Saratoga Springs said he questions the Motivation of the Board of Supervisors. "It is disturbing enough that you want to suppress voting potential," he said. "But what is your intent here? I think it deserves close examination." Chad Radock of Saratoga Springs said he felt strongly about Moving the State forward on the Issue. "We currently have a real civic participation problem with our elections," Radock said. "When you only have 37 percent of registered voters participating in elections, you lose legitimacy. No matter what party you belong to, your goal should be to increase voter participation, not actively strive to suppress it."
Wright ended by telling the Audience that he is not trying to Suppress Votes. "The more votes we get, the more likely we will be sitting in this seat," Wright said. "I never won an election with less than 85 percent of the vote. We want more voters."
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
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