This is a dark day in our history. Today should have been a procedural exercise to finalize the 2020 election. Instead, our nation's Capitol is under siege by domestic terrorists bent on violently invalidating the will of the people.
President Trump should concede that the election is over and call for his supporters to stand down, respect the certification process and support a peaceful inauguration on January 20th.
League of Women Voters of the U.S. 1/6/2021
On June 12 of this year, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed an Executive Order (# 203) requiring all Police Departments within NYS, in response to the public outcry over the deaths of people of color at the hands of the police (think Eric Garner, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, etc.) to examine their practices, policies, and deployment strategies, and present a plan to assure that their policing was not biased. The plan was to be reviewed and approved by stakeholders, and submitted to NYS by April 1, 2021. Failure to submit a plan would mean they were not eligible for state or federal funding. Here’s a link to the Executive Order and its requirements.
It took Preston Allen, chair of the Board of Supervisors, until October to appoint a committee, which had its organizational meeting on October 27. The makeup of the committee has been criticized because it contains only County officials and not community stakeholders. The minutes of the committee are available on the county’s website through a link on the home page. But it isn’t easy to find unless you happen to know that “Éxecutive Order 203 Compliance Group” is in actuality the Police Review committee that was required in response to the Black Live Matter demonstrations and the executive order.
The committee says that it wants public input, and has developed a survey that it asks community members to complete. Supervisor Gaston and Round Lake Mayor Putman both commented that the reading level of the survey is at the college level, and that the survey is long and detailed. I did take the survey today – it takes about a half an hour, and is focused on policies. In my answers I pointed out that policies that seem unbiased are fine, but have to be monitored for compliance. I urge you to complete the survey, and also encourage members of groups who feel that they have been targeted by the police to complete the survey. Here’s the survey link.
Barbara Thomas
The League of Women Voters of Saratoga County received many comments this election season. Here is a sampling of the things folks said:
“Thanks to all the voters who exercised their right to vote in a calm, respectful way, and then waited patiently for the results. That shows their faith in democracy.”
“I want to congratulate the LWV. I don’t know the county numbers but nationally, we had historic voter turn-out. Awesome!!!”
“I was so pleased that the violence and intimidation that was forecast, was actually not very evident on election day.”
“Thank you for registering voters, providing valuable information to confused voters. All this during a pandemic, hot days, wind that threatened to take down the tent, and very chilly days.”
“Thanks to all the League members who helped register voters, and gave out accurate information about the technicalities of voting, who compiled the information on Vote411, staffed and organized candidate forums and generally made the voting process better.”
“Thanks to all the poll workers and to our Saratoga County Board of Elections. They did a fantastic job of coping with the early voting turnout.”
“This month, we recognize incredible organizations who uplift the people of this nation with core AoCC [Americans of Conscience Checklist] values: Respect, Heart, Gratitude, Inclusion, Empathy, Truth, and Solidarity. #30DaysofThanks. … Thank you for your commitment to informing and empowers voters through Vote411”
With the increase in absentee ballots expected in 2020, tallying votes will take more time, and it is highly likely ballots will be counted late into the night all over the country. Use these talking points when helping the public and voters feel comfortable in the likely delayed election results.
Voters should not expect all election results to be called or announced on Election Day as in previous elections, and that’s okay.
A delayed result with an increased number of mailed ballots means the system is working as it should to ensure the integrity of our election process.
A surge in mailed ballots requires our election officials to adapt their ballot counting practices, and it is important for voters to be patient. A complete and accurate ballot count is more important than a fast ballot count.
With the increase of absentee voting in 2020, it is essential that every vote is counted and every voter’s voice is heard. We should all prepare for many election results to be announced after Election Day.
Remember, in New York State, absentee ballots can arrive up to a week after Election Day, if postmarked on or before Election Day. So we can’t have complete results till after November 10th.
Barbara Thomas Oct. 22, 2020
The National Voter Registration Day Committee extends many thanks to all of the volunteers who made September 22 a success!
We also appreciate and are grateful to our partners:
• Donate Life
• Adirondack Women's Bar Association
• Stewarts Shops
Combined efforts resulted in:
• 100 voters registered on the spot
• 200 people taking Voter Registration Forms
• 125 Absentee Ballot requests
• 100's more people given early voting information
Kathy Biegay Sept. 29, 2020
