The following letter appeared in the Gazette:
To the Editor:
Over the years, people have occasionally called the Board of Elections in White Plains with questions or concerns about the May election (covering the school board seats, school and library budgets, and bond proposals). They are always told that the school district administers that election, and to speak with the school district.
Unfortunately our school district is not a model of responsiveness, let alone clarity. This year several people had questions regarding the procedure for observing the count after the polls closed. In a properly conducted election, this is addressed in NY Election Law section 8-500. Such people are knownas poll watchers. They must meet certain qualifications, conduct themselves in a certain manner, and produce a document (known as a Poll Watcher’s Certificate) identifying themselves and which candidate
or party they represent. In the case of a regular election, the certificate is signed by an authorized representative of the political party. In the case of a non-partisan election such as a school board election, it is signed by the candidate. Where a bond proposal is on the ballot, there may be committees supporting or opposing the ballot who qualify to appoint poll watchers.
The original signed poll watcher certificate is delivered to one of the workers at the election site (known as “inspectors”) and retained along with other official election documents. This procedure means that it is a matter of record as to who was present in the polling place after the site was closed to the public.
While it is true that the school district runs the May election, it is not true that the district operates independently of the law. It cannot make up the rules as it goes along. School districts are bound by NY Education Law, but that does not mean they can ignore the rest of the laws. And from a practical view, the question is: why not follow the same procedure used in other elections in Croton and across the state?
The purpose of Election Law 8-500 is to set clear rules for everybody. Those rules ensure that there is integrity and fairness both in fact as well as in perception. Unless our school district has set forth a written policy covering poll watchers at the May election, it seems to me that there is no reason not to follow the state Election Law. It should not be a matter of guesswork or the whim of whoever picks up the phone at Gerstein Street.
Our county Board of Elections is a model of clarity and provides a good example of how to conduct an election. Nobody is allowed to be in the polling place before 6am or after the close of polls unless they produce a Poll Watcher Certificate and normally there is not anyone in the polling place during those hours except the election inspectors.
In the case of an election run by the school district, the district should be a neutral administrator of the election. This is not always the case, as with the recent election in which the School Superintendent and Board President were viewed as trying to influence the election with their statement issued just prior to the candidate debate. Even the perception of influence reinforces the need for the school district to abide by a clear set of rules when administering the election.
Some people (including the NY Attorney General) point to the Wappingers school district Poll Watcher Certificate as an example of how to do it right. In particular, the back side of the Certificate has a discussion of the role of the poll watcher and how watchers are to conduct themselves.
Superintendent Walker is a public official, not a monarch. If he does not like the provisions of NY Election Law and chooses to ignore them, he should set out a clear written policy as to how the school district will conduct future elections, and post that policy on the publicly accessible website.
--Paul Steinberg, Croton-on-Hudson
Over the years, people have occasionally called the Board of Elections in White Plains with questions or concerns about the May election (covering the school board seats, school and library budgets, and bond proposals). They are always told that the school district administers that election, and to speak with the school district.
Unfortunately our school district is not a model of responsiveness, let alone clarity. This year several people had questions regarding the procedure for observing the count after the polls closed. In a properly conducted election, this is addressed in NY Election Law section 8-500. Such people are knownas poll watchers. They must meet certain qualifications, conduct themselves in a certain manner, and produce a document (known as a Poll Watcher’s Certificate) identifying themselves and which candidate
or party they represent. In the case of a regular election, the certificate is signed by an authorized representative of the political party. In the case of a non-partisan election such as a school board election, it is signed by the candidate. Where a bond proposal is on the ballot, there may be committees supporting or opposing the ballot who qualify to appoint poll watchers.
The original signed poll watcher certificate is delivered to one of the workers at the election site (known as “inspectors”) and retained along with other official election documents. This procedure means that it is a matter of record as to who was present in the polling place after the site was closed to the public.
While it is true that the school district runs the May election, it is not true that the district operates independently of the law. It cannot make up the rules as it goes along. School districts are bound by NY Education Law, but that does not mean they can ignore the rest of the laws. And from a practical view, the question is: why not follow the same procedure used in other elections in Croton and across the state?
The purpose of Election Law 8-500 is to set clear rules for everybody. Those rules ensure that there is integrity and fairness both in fact as well as in perception. Unless our school district has set forth a written policy covering poll watchers at the May election, it seems to me that there is no reason not to follow the state Election Law. It should not be a matter of guesswork or the whim of whoever picks up the phone at Gerstein Street.
Our county Board of Elections is a model of clarity and provides a good example of how to conduct an election. Nobody is allowed to be in the polling place before 6am or after the close of polls unless they produce a Poll Watcher Certificate and normally there is not anyone in the polling place during those hours except the election inspectors.
In the case of an election run by the school district, the district should be a neutral administrator of the election. This is not always the case, as with the recent election in which the School Superintendent and Board President were viewed as trying to influence the election with their statement issued just prior to the candidate debate. Even the perception of influence reinforces the need for the school district to abide by a clear set of rules when administering the election.
Some people (including the NY Attorney General) point to the Wappingers school district Poll Watcher Certificate as an example of how to do it right. In particular, the back side of the Certificate has a discussion of the role of the poll watcher and how watchers are to conduct themselves.
Superintendent Walker is a public official, not a monarch. If he does not like the provisions of NY Election Law and chooses to ignore them, he should set out a clear written policy as to how the school district will conduct future elections, and post that policy on the publicly accessible website.
--Paul Steinberg, Croton-on-Hudson
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