TROY, N.Y. â Rensselaer County Board of Elections Commissioners Jason Schofield and Edward McDonough and the Rensselaer County Board of Elections (BOE) have decided to appeal a ruling made by the Rensselaer County Supreme Court on June 7, regarding early voting sites.Â
The initial ruling by Judge Adam W. Silverman of the Rensselaer County Supreme Court said that BOEâs decision not to place a site in a centrally located area within Troy is arbitrary and capricious, and must be annulled and sided in favor of a lawsuit brought about by New York State Attorney General Letitia James, contesting the location and accessibility of the county s three early voting locations for low-income and minority communities.Â
TROY, N.Y. — New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed a lawsuit against the Rensselaer County Board of Elections (BOE) and its commissioners, Jason Schofield and Edward McDonough, for
TROY, N.Y. — Outside the Ned Pattison Government Center Tuesday morning in Troy, voting advocates called on the Rensselaer County Board of Elections (BOE) to make early voting more accessible
Advocates are stepping up efforts for more early voting sites in Troy.
The push is being led by the League of Women Voters of Rensselaer County, which alleges the County Board of Elections is refusing to make early voting accessible and equitable to minority and low income voters. It comes about a month after the state attorney general’s office urged an expansion of early voting sites.
Renée Powell, President of the Troy Branch of the NAACP, leveled some harsh allegations Tuesday. What we re experiencing here in Rensselaer County is textbook voter suppression. voter suppression is defined as an effort to influence the outcome of an election by discouraging or preventing specific groups of people from voting. And this tactic is being used to make it difficult for people in the Black and brown and low income communities to exercise their right to vote. This coalition has been communicating with the Rensselaer County Board of election commissioners for at least three years to c
ALBANY, N.Y. â This week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed into law legislation that requires municipalities with the highest population in each county to have at least one polling place designated for early voting.
New York State Assemblyman John T. McDonald III, who co-sponsored the bill along with New York State Sen. Neil Breslin, commended the governor on expanding access to early voting sites. The largest municipality in each county generally has better access to public transportation, higher population density, and serves as the center for surrounding communities. This law will ensure that any decisions regarding early voting locations are focusing on siting to remove barriers for voters, McDonald stated.Â