I did talk to Mike Godlewski this morning. He explained:
Choice #1 - They can allow absentee balloting, which would require pre-registration of the qualifying electorate before the vote. They believe this would be counter productive.
Choice #2 - They can exempt voter absentee balloting, which is the choice they decided on.
I also suggested a date change. Mr. Godlewski explained to me that there are postcards at the printer now with the 6/29/10 date, that will be sent out to the town residents.
This is a very brief summary of my conversation with Mr. Godlewski. I would suggest to anyone that has any questions to call him. 355-7575 x322
I did talk to Mike Godlewski this morning. He explained:
Choice #1 - They can allow absentee balloting, which would require pre-registration of the qualifying electorate before the vote. They believe this would be counter productive.
Choice #2 - They can exempt voter absentee balloting, which is the choice they decided on.
I also suggested a date change. Mr. Godlewski explained to me that there are postcards at the printer now with the 6/29/10 date, that will be sent out to the town residents.
This is a very brief summary of my conversation with Mr. Godlewski. I would suggest to anyone that has any questions to call him. 355-7575 x322
He has no business sending out those cards..he is aware of Ms. DiLeva's opposition and her intention to stop this insanity on 6/9. The rush on their "notice" is just another tactic to ram this through before the opposition is overwhelming...and you can bet it will not include any information about the options or a "no absentees permitted" clause.
I personally do not agree with the scheduled date of the vote. More importantly than that, I believe that everyone should have their right to vote. Excluding a portion of society, such as the disabled, just seems unconstitutional to me. Everyone has a right to their vote in every election and this one should be no exception.
And what of homeowners that have to travel excessive distances, schedule time off, change plans, etc to vote - I've never seen a more potentially illegal scam in 40 years in Schenectady.
Basically, I'd have to travel ~1k miles, take 5-7 days off from work just to vote and save $25 a year? Hell ya I will. Or maybe be the test case for the pending lawsuit. This is just wrong.
Section 1. Every citizen shall be entitled to vote at every election for all officers elected by the people and upon all questions submitted to the vote of the people provided that such citizen is eighteen years of age or over and shall have been a resident of this state, and of the county, city, or village for thirty days next preceding an election. (Amended by Constitutional Convention of 1938 and approved by vote of the people November 8, 1938; further amended by vote of the people November 2, 1943; November 6, 1945; November 6, 1961; November 8, 1966; November 7, 1995.)
[Absentee voting]
§2. The legislature may, by general law, provide a manner in which, and the time and place at which, qualified voters who, on the occurrence of any election, may be absent from the county of their residence or, if residents of the city of New York, from the city, and qualified voters who, on the occurrence of any election, may be unable to appear personally at the polling place because of illness or physical disability, may vote and for the return and canvass of their votes. (Formerly §1-a. Renumbered by Constitutional Convention of 1938 and approved by vote of the people November 8, 1938; amended by vote of the people November 4, 1947; November 8, 1955; November 5, 1963.)
[Persons excluded from the right of suffrage]
§3. No person who shall receive, accept, or offer to receive, or pay, offer or promise to pay, contribute, offer or promise to contribute to another, to be paid or used, any money or other valuable thing as a compensation or reward for the giving or withholding a vote at an election, or who shall make any promise to influence the giving or withholding any such vote, or who shall make or become directly or indirectly interested in any bet or wager depending upon the result of any election, shall vote at such election; and upon challenge for such cause, the person so challenged, before the officers authorized for that purpose shall receive his or her vote, shall swear or affirm before such officers that he or she has not received or offered, does not expect to receive, has not paid, offered or promised to pay, contributed, offered or promised to contribute to another, to be paid or used, any money or other valuable thing as a compensation or reward for the giving or withholding a vote at such election, and has not made any promise to influence the giving or withholding of any such vote, nor made or become directly or indirectly interested in any bet or wager depending upon the result of such election. The legislature shall enact laws excluding from the right of suffrage all persons convicted of bribery or of any infamous crime. (Formerly §2. Renumbered by Constitutional Convention of 1938 and approved by vote of the people November 8, 1938; amended by vote of the people November 6, 2001.)
[Certain occupations and conditions not to affect residence]
§4. For the purpose of voting, no person shall be deemed to have gained or lost a residence, by reason of his or her presence or absence, while employed in the service of the United States; nor while engaged in the navigation of the waters of this state, or of the United States, or of the high seas; nor while a student of any seminary of learning; nor while kept at any almshouse, or other asylum, or institution wholly or partly supported at public expense or by charity; nor while confined in any public prison. (Formerly §3. Renumbered by Constitutional Convention of 1938 and approved by vote of the people November 8, 1938; amended by vote of the people November 6, 2001.)
[Registration and election laws to be passed]
§5. Laws shall be made for ascertaining, by proper proofs, the citizens who shall be entitled to the right of suffrage hereby established, and for the registration of voters; which registration shall be completed at least ten days before each election. Such registration shall not be required for town and village elections except by express provision of law. (Formerly §4. Renumbered by Constitutional Convention of 1938 and approved by vote of the people November 8, 1938; amended by vote of the people November 6, 1951; further amended by vote of the people November 8, 1955; November 8, 1966; November 7, 1995.)
[Permanent registration]
§6. The legislature may provide by law for a system or systems of registration whereby upon personal application a voter may be registered and his or her registration continued so long as he or she shall remain qualified to vote from an address within the jurisdiction of the board with which such voter is registered. (New. Adopted by Constitutional Convention of 1938 and approved by vote of the people November 8, 1938; amended by vote of the people November 7, 1995; November 6, 2001.)
[Manner of voting; identification of voters]
§7. All elections by the citizens, except for such town officers as may by law be directed to be otherwise chosen, shall be by ballot, or by such other method as may be prescribed by law, provided that secrecy in voting be preserved. The legislature shall provide for identification of voters through their signatures in all cases where personal registration is required and shall also provide for the signatures, at the time of voting, of all persons voting in person by ballot or voting machine, whether or not they have registered in person, save only in cases of illiteracy or physical disability. (Formerly §5. Renumbered and amended by Constitutional Convention of 1938 and approved by vote of the people November 8, 1938.)
[Bi-partisan registration and election boards]
§8. All laws creating, regulating or affecting boards or officers charged with the duty of qualifying voters, or of distributing ballots to voters, or of receiving, recording or counting votes at elections, shall secure equal representation of the two political parties which, at the general election next preceding that for which such boards or officers are to serve, cast the highest and the next highest number of votes. All such boards and officers shall be appointed or elected in such manner, and upon the nomination of such representatives of said parties respectively, as the legislature may direct. Existing laws on this subject shall continue until the legislature shall otherwise provide. This section shall not apply to town, or village elections. (Formerly §6. Renumbered and amended by Constitutional Convention of 1938 and approved by vote of the people November 8, 1938; further amended by vote of the people November 7, 1995.)
[Presidential elections; special voting procedures authorized]
§ 9. Notwithstanding the residence requirements imposed by section one of this article, the legislature may, by general law, provide special procedures whereby every person who shall have moved from another state to this state or from one county, city or village within this state to another county, city or village within this state and who shall have been an inhabitant of this state in any event for ninety days next preceding an election at which electors are to be chosen for the office of president and vice president of the United States shall be entitled to vote in this state solely for such electors, provided such person is otherwise qualified to vote in this state and is not able to qualify to vote for such electors in any other state. The legislature may also, by general law, prescribe special procedures whereby every person who is registered and would be qualified to vote in this state but for his or her removal from this state to another state within one year next preceding such election shall be entitled to vote in this state solely for such electors, provided such person is not able to qualify to vote for such electors in any other state. (New. Added by vote of the people November 5, 1963; amended by vote of the people November 6, 2001.)
I had an extensive phone conversation with Nicki DiLeva last night regarding the latest developments with this tax district issue... She called this morning to tell me that she had given my comments a lot of thought and she agrees with us...she has given me her word that she will move to postpone the 6/29 vote until November.
"Her word!" NOT! I agree with GB and MT...ND will fold!
Rotterdam town board member Nicola DiLeva has asked for the upcoming June 29 vote for a new taxing district to be postponed until November.
In an email to town board members and town supervisor Frank Del Gallo on Thursday, June 3, DiLeva asked the town board to table the upcoming vote for a number of reasons including the scheduling of only one polling place during the vote, the lack of absentee ballots and that residents are unsure what they are voting on with the creation of the district.
"I think the residents need to know more about the details about the vote," said DiLeva. "The residents need to know what they are exactly voting on."
Board member Gerard Parisi shares the same concerns as DiLeva and would like to see the public have a fair vote and would like to see the residents of Rotterdam have the ability to vote as an absentee if possible.
"Let the public have a full and fair vote," said Parisi. "These people are expecting to vote and not given the chance. That's not Democracy."
The creation of Rotterdam Ambulance Service District No.1 would help to fund Rotterdam Emergency Medical Services, Inc., the basic life support provider for the Town of Rotterdam. The proposed tax rate is 10 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. If passed the district would be implemented on Jan. 1, 2011.
For Immediate Release June 2, 2010 Contact: _______
AMBULANCE VOTE PROCESS TAINTED
“DEPRIVING THE CITIZENS OF THE RIGHT TO ABSENTEE BALLOTS AND LIMITING THE VOTE TO ONE POLLING PLACE UNFAIR”
Rotterdam – Recent comments from the Rotterdam Administration indicate that the public will be denied a full and fair vote.
Though the administration had originally promised to have absentee ballots available for the vote on the proposition, the administration has recently decided that absentee ballots will not be available. “That this administration would lead the public to believe that absentee ballots would be available and then pull the rug out from under them at the 12th hour is very disheartening,” said Salamone. This should concern everyone; whether they are in favor of the creation of the ambulance district or not. “One of the fundamentals of our government is the idea that people get to vote. This decision will deprive many Rotterdam residents of that right,” stated Salamone.
The decision to deny Rotterdam residents the right to vote by absentee ballot will have a significant impact, according to Salamone’s campaign. This is the peak of summer vacation season and many people will be out of town and unable to vote. “But, this isn’t only about residents on vacation, there are many Rotterdam residents who, because of age or disability, are homebound,” added Salamone. “Depriving these individuals the right to vote is antithetical to the principles of good government and defy common sense,” declared Salamone. The campaign notes that this decision might also violate the law. According to the campaign, § 84-a of the Town Law states “Absentee ballots shall be provided for all special town elections…”
“The decision to ignore the law and to discriminate against those on vacation, the elderly, and the disabled is patently offensive, the administration should be doing everything possible to ensure that everyone that wants to vote can vote,” said Salamone. “Instead, it seems that the administration is doing anything in its power to prevent people from voting,” Salamone added.
To defend that point, the campaign points to holding the vote in the middle of summer, failing to provide absentee ballots, and the administration’s decision to only have one polling place in town. “Though the Board of Elections continues to say that there would only be nominal additional costs associated with operating multiple polling places, the administration has shockingly decided that only one polling place will be used,” according to Salamone. “It seems inconvenient at the very least to require everyone to drive to Town Hall to vote, particularly those individuals living in Rotterdam Junction,” said Salamone. “I don’t understand why the administration would refuse to execute this vote in the most convenient way possible to ensure that there is a high voter turnout,” said Salamone. “Whether an individual is in favor of Rotterdam Ambulance District #1, or not, the administration should be doing everything in its power to ensure that everyone gets to vote,” declared Salamone!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 3, 2010 Contact: 518-694-1955
AMEDORE: ROTTERDAM RESIDENTS SHOULD HAVE THEIR VOICES HEARD Sponsors legislation to provide for absentee voting in local elections
Assemblyman George Amedore (R,C-Rotterdam) today reiterated the need to allow residents to vote with an absentee ballot in an upcoming referendum in the Town of Rotterdam and believes that, in general, voters should be allowed to vote with an absentee ballot in all elections.
“I have received many calls on this issue and I am concerned about residents not having a voice in the electoral process,” said Amedore. “This is exactly why I am a co-sponsor of A.5626-a, which is working its way through the Legislature.”
Amedore noted that the bill would require that a registered voter in any village, town, city, school district or fire district statewide be eligible to vote in any special election, district election or local referendum by absentee ballot.
“This legislation is vital because it would require absentee ballots for all elections statewide to be accounted for,” said Amedore. “The situation we are seeing in the Town of Rotterdam repeats itself across New York, and residents who vote by absentee certainly have the right to make their voices heard on these issues.”
It is awfully "grumpy" of those two basterd republicans to be so mean about this. Try smiling and going along, that is what the democraps have suggested.
"While Foreign Terrorists were plotting to murder and maim using homemade bombs in Boston, Democrap officials in Washington DC, Albany and here were busy watching ME and other law abiding American Citizens who are gun owners and taxpayers, in an effort to blame the nation's lack of security on US so that they could have a political scapegoat."
Well from what I'm reading, there is no cut and dry law for absentee ballots. It's kind of like a 'free for all' here. Which only proves that this town board and attorney are making sh!t up as they go along.
Obviously they COULD HAVE CHOSEN to allow absentee ballots. But they didn't....right? Nice, huh? Also the date should be changed to November. Should EVERYONE be allowed to vote......not just property owners? Speaking of property owners.....what if you own more than one? What if someone owns a home and a business? AND....is it one vote per household? What if two people's names are on the deed? Do they both get to vote?
I know, I know...too many questions. But this generation will be dead and gone before we get all of the answers! [Absentee voting]
Quoted Text
§2. The legislature may, by general law, provide a manner in which, and the time and place at which, qualified voters who, on the occurrence of any election, may be absent from the county of their residence or, if residents of the city of New York, from the city, and qualified voters who, on the occurrence of any electioN, may be unable to appear personally at the polling place because of illness or physical disability, may vote and for the return and canvass of their votes. (Formerly §1-a. Renumbered by Constitutional Convention of 1938 and approved by vote of the people November 8, 1938; amended by vote of the people November 4, 1947; November 8, 1955; November 5, 1963.
Am I reading this wrong? Doesn't it say ANY ELECTION?
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
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