By LAURALYN AVALLONE
Local women's group pushes for stricter voting law
The long, tainted history of absentee ballots in Long Beach has yet another entry to add to the timeline. Questionable voting procedures that led to the May 16 victory of school board trustee Norman Aplren have prompted yet another investigation by District Attorney Denis Dillon, and have led to an outcry from a local women's group.
"There is currently an investigation for criminal activity based on irregularities found in the May 16 school district election," said Ed Grilli, spokesperson for Mr. Dillon. "In years passed, dead people were voting [in Long Beach]. Some changes are being considered. The hard part is proving who is responsible beyond a reasonable doubt. It's an ongoing investigation, we'll just have to see."
The case is currently before a Grand Jury and the managers of local nursing homes have received a subpoena.
After nearly a decade of ballot irregularities, the League of Women's Voters has decided to take a stand against what they feel are abusive voting practices occurring in Long Beach adult homes.
"This is not a Democratic or Republican issue," Co-President of the League of Women's Voters, Sarah Nicholas said. "It's about the integrity of a person's right to vote without pressure. There are over 500 absentee ballots in this city. This vote can affect the outcome of the local elections."
The League of Women's Voters of Long Beach has approached the Nassau County Board of Elections, urging Commissioners Barbara Patton (D) and John A. DeGrace (R), to implement a provision in the election law that would safeguard absentee voters.
Under the provision, Nassau County bi-partisan investigators would arrive at each nursing home and hand the ballots directly to the permanently disabled voters. The votes would be cast by the voters in portable voting booths, provided by the County. County investigators would then personally take the ballots back to the Board of Elections in Mineola.
When asked whether or not he supported the law, Ralph Hoffman of Hoffman Manor said, "I'm not involved in anything and I have no interest in it, honestly."
Administrator Steven Schonberger of King David Manor said, "I think it's a very nice idea. I'm absolutely in support of that law."
Ben Tenenbaum of the Long Beach Atlantic Home said, "I have no opinion."
Commissioner DeGrace voted for it, Commissioner Patton abstained from voting. Instead, Commissioner Patton opted for sending a letter to the homes explaining exactly how the management should go about distributing ballots on election day. Ms. Nicholas said the letter was nothing more than "putting a band-aid on a wound."
A spokesperson for Commissioner Patton said that the present procedure of administrators holding ballots instead of distributing them immediately according to law was their way of turning election day into "something nice and social." Aside from handing out a letter educating homes on how to distribute ballots, Commissioner Patton will also require signature verification.
As for why Commissioner Patton decided to abstain from the vote, her spokesperson said there were a few reasons to consider. First, if that section of the law is implemented in Long Beach it will have to also be implemented county-wide. That means Nassau County Board of Elections would be sending out their staff to approximately 200 separate locations every election day.
Also, due to the 6 million cut in the budget, the County doesn't have the $10,000 needed to hire and train new staff, the spokesperson said.
Commissioner Patton's spokesperson did say that if the District Attorney had suggested implementing the law sixty days before the next election on September 7, "it's possible she may have voted otherwise." A letter from Mr. Dillon's office was received by Commissioner Patton one day past the 60-day deadline.
According to Long Beach Democratic Leader, Gene Cammarato, the provision was used in the November 1999 election, and the results were positive.
"I'm absolutely for the law," Mr. Cammarato said. "We had two Democrats and two Republicans from the County come out for our last election and we did very well. In fact, more people voted than in the prior election."
Mindy Warsaw, Chairperson for the League of Women's Voters, feels that the time to put the law into effect is long overdue.
"People are being influenced in the way they vote," Ms. Warsaw said. "They're being threatened if they don't want to vote. The League will volunteer to help assist in the voting process. If the Board of Elections value a person's rights, they will implement the law without making it political. They need to bring back voter's confidence and validity in the system. $10,000 is worth people feeling their vote is not being perverted."
Ms. Warsaw added, "The abuse that these people are put through can really change an election."
