Election | Bard College

General Election 2009 - Followup

A number of you have written asking what has taken place with the student voting issue in the wake of my previous note about voter suppression activities during local elections on November 3rd. Some have also inquired about Bard's response.

For those of you who want to see what took place in Barrytown, where on-campus students are meant to vote, I urge you to see snippets on the following You Tube video taken that day: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ng4QF9lnPds
Footage is shot by a local lawyer who was intervening on behalf of student voters.

As the video shows, several students, who have the legal write to vote on a machine like any other resident, were challenged by Republican poll watchers who claimed unspecified "residency" violations without even inquiring where students currently reside. A poorly written legal decision by the notorious Judge Brands in Poughkeepsie meant that, in spite of established law, ANY student challenged was required to vote via affidavit ballot, even if they live in district or at the exact same address where they registered. (This is important, because history shows that affidavit ballots are frequently disqualified over technicalities during the counting process.)

In response to the events, the College has stepped forward to provide legal assistance to support students who were illegitimately denied the right to vote in the same manner as other district residents. On Wednesday, a different court in Poughkeepsie will hear arguments that the students' votes should be treated as paper, instead of affidavit, ballots, and thus be counted without further challenge. The case may impact upon the status of the votes of only about a dozen students, but precedents and principles are at stake.

To protect voting rights in the future, the College, together with the aggrieved students and representatives from Vassar, will be exploring future steps, including potential legal remedies, as well as election-day strategies. I will let you know how things go.

--
Jonathan Becker
Dean of International Studies
Bard College
tel: (845) 758 7378
fax: (845) 758 7185
www.bard.edu/globalstudy

Website: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ng4QF9lnPds

Primary Election 2010
Check back for updated information

Voter Registration

Stop by Brook House Room 102 for Dutchess County Voter Registration form (for new voters or address and party changes for those previously registered)

the deadline for registration is 25 days prior to the election.