"I saw police and firemen standing next to SUVs wi

Lawmaker: End of 'voter suppression'
Thursday, Mar 8, 2007

By DAN WIESSNER
O-D Albany bureau

ALBANY — A Yonkers lawmaker who has alleged voter intimidation in her last two races proposed legislation Wednesday aimed at ending voter suppression.

Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins, D-Yonkers, announced the four measures on the anniversary of the 1965 Selma, Alabama march for voting rights.

"It is difficult to believe that 42 years after Selma, in one of the most progressive states in the country, minorities and other still face discrimination and intimidation tactics when they attempt to vote," she said.

The measures include creating the crime of voter suppression, increasing penalties for violations of election law, and decreasing the ability of candidates to challenge voter eligibility and anonymously poll voters.

In 2004, Stewart-Cousins lost to Republican incumbent Nicholas Spano by 18 votes amid charges of voter intimidation. Last fall, she beat Spano by more than 2,000 votes, but the freshman senator's camp, as well as the media, reported several instances of alleged voter suppression.

"I saw police and firemen standing next to SUVs with 'Nick Spano' written on them, and inside, there were Republican poll workers hassling and challenging Democratic voters," said Glenn Kaminsky of Yonkers. He worked at a polling site in the city that the New York Times said erupted in "chaos" after Democratic poll watchers challenged their Republican counterparts.

Spano denied any involvement, but candidates are responsible for the actions of their campaign workers, said John Nonna of the Democratic Lawyers Council.

Stewart-Cousins' legislation would make voter suppression — any tactic intended to prevent people from voting — a misdemeanor crime.

"The fact that you can influence people not to vote shouldn't be happening, and it should be illegal," she said.

The measures also would change the rules for "blanket challenges" and "push-polling," two tactics used by candidates to reduce their opponents' vote tally.

"Blanket challenges" are challenges to the eligibility of a large number of registered voters, and are usually based on residency requirements. Currently, police are dispatched to people's homes, which Stewart-Cousins said can scare people away from the polls. Her bill would require officials from local boards of elections to do the rounds instead of police.



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