Changes in Election Practices

Last year (2019) the Legislature passed a lot of election law reforms, some of which went into effect last Fall, and others that are taking effect for this year’s primary election. And the Governor issued some executive orders that have also changed the way the Board of Elections operates. So these are the changes to be aware of:

Early voting is in effect for every election. Counties must offer at least one early voting site for every 50,000 eligible voters. So last Fall Saratoga County offered 3 sites. But for the upcoming Primary election it will offer only one site because the number of registered Democrats, plus the number of Independence Party voters in Malta, does not exceed 50,000. Early voting for every election begins 10 days before election and continues for 9 days. There is no early voting on the day before Election Day. Early voting for the primary starts on June 13 and continues through June 21 this year.

Consolidated Primaries. The Election Law has combined the Congressional primaries with the primaries for state and local offices on the 4th Tuesday in June. For this year only, due to the Governor’s executive order, the Presidential Primary will also be held on June 23. Polls will be open 6am-9pm statewide. Only voters enrolled in parties holding primaries may vote.

The last day to change your Party registration was February 14, 2020. Previously, people had to change their party registration prior to the fall general election to have it take effect for a primary. Changes made after that date go into effect 7 days after the June primary.

Voting by Absentee Ballot. Due to the Governor’s executive order anyone may apply for an absentee ballot for the primary, checking off temporary illness as the excuse. This is a 2-step process. First you must fill out an application for an absentee ballot. You should have received an application in the mail by now. Fill it out carefully and mail it in using the postage paid envelope provided. Instructions are in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TelBppBjKNY Then you should receive an absentee ballot. Carefully follow the instructions for signing and dating the envelopes the ballot goes in. Then put the ballot in the ballot envelope and use the return envelope provided. The postage is provided (red ink for $.50) even though there is a square saying to place a stamp on the envelope. The square was there before the postage was affixed.

Absentee Ballots ARE all counted, but the counting takes place 7 days following the election. This give time for ballots to arrive and to cross check whether the voter has voted in person. It is legal to change your mind and vote in person, if you wish.

Also, electronic poll books are now in use and 16 & 17 year olds may pre-register to vote, but still can’t vote till they are 18.

Constitutional amendments have had first passage to allow no excuse absentee balloting and same day voter registration. We’ll be continuing to lobby for these things.

Barbara Thomas, Presidential Steering Committee
May 27, 2020

VOTE411.org Wins Webby Award

The League of Women Voters Education Fund announced that VOTE411.org, its one-stop-shop for election information, has been named Best Government & Civil Innovation Website in the 24th Annual Webby People’s Voice Awards (May, 2020).

“We work to make critical election information more accessible to millions of voters every step of the way to the ballot box,” said Virginia Kase, CEO of the League of Women Voters Education Fund. “To win the Webby People’s Voice Award means so much because it is recognition from the public who value our site. This honor helps bring more visibility to VOTE411, a resource every voter can trust for accurate and unbiased information this and every election cycle.”

LWV Saratoga County regularly helps local candidates post information on the VOTE411 website, so that area residents can compare candidates based on their qualifications and their positions on the issues. Beginning May 26 voters can put in their address and find out who is running for School Board or in the June primaries.

Since 2006, VOTE411 has provided registration deadlines and tools, absentee and early voting information, polling place locations, voting hours, candidate information, and more. Late last year, the League of Women Voters launched the newly redesigned VOTE411.org, with the mission to serve every voter in America with critical election information in 2020.

“The coronavirus pandemic has had a major impact on primary elections, but it’s never been more important for voters to make sure their voices are heard at the ballot box,” said Jeanette Senecal, Senior Director of Mission Impact for the League of Women Voters Education Fund. “In this critical election year, VOTE411 is expected to reach one in five people in the United States before November 3. This award is a testament to the time and dedication our League volunteers around the country put into making sure voters have accurate election information.”

Hailed as the “Internet’s highest honor” by The New York Times, The Webby Awards, presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, is the leading international awards organization honoring excellence on the Internet.

“VOTE411 has set the standard for innovation and creativity on the Internet,” said Claire Graves, Executive Director of The Webby Awards. “This award is a testament to the skill, ingenuity, and vision of its creators.”

5/21/20 Update: VOTE411’s 5-word Webby Award acceptance speech: America wins when everyone votes

Sunlight Is the Best Disinfectant

“Sunlight is the best disinfectant,”

said Louis Brandeis way back in 1913 and it is still generally true today. While soap and alcohol might be more quickly effective against the corona virus there is nothing like shinning a light on the workings of government and corporations to improve performance.

Members of Saratoga County’s government got caught in a scheme to pay time and a half pay to some employees, administrators and (maybe) supervisors for showing up during the pandemic to work their non-overtime hours. When the press and the public heard about it and expressed their dismay the county government decided to take back the pay. Further information shows that many Supervisors were unaware of the initial decision, and didn’t have a say in the follow-up decision - and those party to the decision hadn’t followed established procedures – or at least can’t explain when they did what.

That’s what happens when there is little effort to follow the spirit of the Open Meetings Law! While Saratoga County follows the letter of the Open Meetings Law there is no real effort to actually let the public follow what is going on. Agendas are seldom available even 24 hours in advance of a meeting, and when you pick up an agenda at a meeting it is a list of resolution numbers with the briefest of descriptions.

During the regular meetings of the Board of Supervisors many supervisors don’t speak into their microphones, and the chair doesn’t call on Supervisors by name, so the public is hard pressed to follow what is going on.

Since the pandemic things have actually improved for the public wanting to observe a meeting because the supervisors are calling in to a conference call number and have to identify themselves before they speak or their colleagues and the transcript won’t know who they are. And the public has been provided with a listen in number so that they can hear what is going on without having to drive to Ballston Spa during the afternoon (which during normal times keeps the working public from attending).

The League has for many years called on the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors to provide a live video broadcast of their meetings. The City of Saratoga Springs has been providing real time video access to their meetings for many years – through both Republican and Democratic administrations – the County should follow their example!

Come to the Meetup: Saratoga County Government – Is It Working? To learn more about the way our county government operates. That’s on May 20th via Zoom.

Barb Thomas
May 11, 2020

Virtual Lunchtime Climate Discussion

Peter Iwanowicz, the Executive Director of Environmental Advocates of N.Y., spoke to the LWV via Zoom on April 29. He passionately explained the goals of the organization, thanked the LWV for its work on climate change and voting rights, and laid out a significant environmental plan for NY. Environmental Advocates works with many partners attempting to steer the legislature and governor to adopt green management of water quality, climate, land use etc. It promotes specific goals and time lines, such as elimination of styrofoam and plastic in restaurants and increased use of Electric buses. The main priorities for this year are:
A) Get $1 billion dollars in the state budget for our aging water infrastructure
B) Get $1 billion in the state budget to jumpstart an economy wide shift off fossil fuels
C) Advance solutions to the solid waste crisis.

In 2019 the legislature passed a record number of bills to protect the environment. The highlight was the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA).

This bill is touted as the most far reaching law for Climate protection ever passed anywhere. The purpose is to move NYS to a carbon neutral economy by the year 2050. There are many intermediate dates and subgoals to be achieved along the way to make sure that we actually get to the final goal. It is also the first law to emphasize social justice and the right to a healthy environment. CLCPA provides for a Climate Action Team, representing various constituencies, to be appointed to lay out a blueprint to reach those goals. Peter was appointed to the Committee by the Governor. He reported that he is one of two of the 23 people on the Climate Action Council who was appointed to represent the general public. He welcomes questions and ideas at 518-528-5080 or peteriwanowicz@eany.org.

Although the CLCPA has passed both houses of the Legislature and been signed by the Governor, it has only begun to be funded. There will be a large Bond Act to be voted on at the November Election. This will give the general public a chance to show their support/or lack thereof for environmental protection. Peter talked about large amounts for the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) where we are partnering on projects with neighboring states, $550 million for Land Conservation and $700 million for climate change mitigation. In responding to an observation that, in the past, these funds have been raided to balance the budget and in light of the huge deficit from the COVID-19 pandemic crisis what can we expect? His response was that, the hope is, this money will be treated as stimulus funds to provide jobs and rebuild the economy similar to what was done following The Great Depression. It is hoped that the 2021 budget continues the State’s leadership on, and commitment to , meeting its long-term climate and clean energy goals in ways that will create and maintain jobs in New York when today’s public health crisis has abated.

Peter responded to many questions including: where electric energy comes from, stating that nuclear and biofuels have many negatives. He compared the true value of fossil fuel energy— we actually benefit from about 25% of what is produced, compared to 75% of solar, wind, etc. He talked about making the siting of electric generating stations more local to reduce the large amount of energy lost by long distance transmission. He gave us a vision of using batteries of electric vehicles to store solar energy during off peak hours.

Peter’s presentation was galvanizing for those of us who watched. Where should we go from here?

For more information on CLCPA go to its website: climate.NY.gov

This will help to understand the bill, follow its progress and you may sign up for email updates

Joanna Lasher

LWV Launches Remote the Vote

Francine Rodger just keeps coming up with good ideas. Her latest brainchild is Remote the Vote. It’s a way for our League to continue the vital work of getting people registered and getting them to the polls –even as we stay safe by practicing social distancing.

The way that Remote the Vote will work is that each week LWVSC will put out a message on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter highlighting a city or town in our county, highlighting how many people they could register and giving them an online method to get registered.

We will be sending an email blast to our members living in the targeted municipality, asking them to share the social media with their friends and neighbors.

Using population projections from the Capital District Regional Planning Commission and the number of registered voters in each municipality (provided by the Saratoga County Board of Elections) Francine has figured out that there are about 35,000 Saratoga County residents who aren’t registered to vote. Remote the Vote could put a big dent in that number.

Francine says, “Social media is a great multiplier. Let’s spread the word far and wide and get people registered. That’s the first step in getting more people to vote”

Barb Thomas