Election Day is always one of the biggest days on the American calendar each year. The 2008 Election was no different. However, it was clear on this Tuesday in November that the Presidential election overshadowed anything else.
At SouthHillElementary School, one of several polling places around TompkinsCounty and specifically the city and town of Ithaca, that seemed to be the sentiment among voters. People who came to place their mark in history made it known that the fight between Barack Obama and John McCain was far more important than whoever was running for local offices.
On the local ballots, Maurice Hinchey was running again for a spot in the House of Representatives from the 22nd district against George Phillips. Don Barber was vying for State Senate in the 51st district against James Seward. Several other people were on ballots to be elected among the state assembly, town boards, and many other spots. However, all eyes were clearly on the Obama-McCain war.
I have no reason to take anything away from the Presidential election. After eight years of one man leading the country, it was important for America to go out and make a smart choice in electing a new leader. However, I think the one thing that is clear is that too many Americans are concerned more with the federal government and fail to notice the smaller, sometimes more important people that change our everyday lives.
As I write this article, Barack Obama has just been elected as the new President of the United States and people are celebrating outside my apartment. A new day will dawn on our nation and a lot of people will finally feel this country can turn around. This is monumental without question, and one of the biggest topics in question is education. It is time for the American people to start educating themselves more about local government and those leading them locally just as much as the national leaders.
Below, I have put together a video including some voters from SouthHillElementary School’s polling place. It shows how voters clearly did not show much interest regarding the local political races. For a complete list of the local representatives who were running in the 2008 Election, please visit this page on the Ithaca Journal website.
Polling places across the country were filled today and Tompkins County was no exception. The city of Ithaca alone designated 12 locations for residents to cast their ballots and they were certainly put to good use.
South Hill Elementary School, one of the twelve polling places within the city, saw many voters come through the doors. “We’ve had over a 50 percent voter turn out, maybe even 60 percent,” said Becky Booth, a polling volunteer at the elementary school. Booth said that the turn out has never been this high and that this election season, Tompkins County has added more polling places as well as more staff and volunteers.
Booth credits the large number of students in the area for the increase in turn out. “We have two universities that make up a big population in Ithaca and with their big flexibility during the day, they are able to come in and vote on their time,” Booth said.
Carol*, one of the head polling staff at South Hill Elementary said the young people are also influencing bigger, national issues. “I think that people under 22 [years old] are more concerned with the national issues, but those over 22 are looking into the local election because they realize that concerns them more in terms of issues such as taxes and schools,” Carol* said.
Sandra Reukaol, another polling volunteer at the elementary school, said she was excited to see the young turn out. "It was delightful to see young people out and voting," she said. "There were three girls here earlier, all grinning, and were skipping up the ramp after the voted."
She said there was even a young girl who was celebrating her 18th birthday today and was voting for the first time. "It is great to see American engaged and awake," she said.
*Last name has been withheld due to person's request.
Below: Carol* instructs a new voter on what to do.
We count votes. We count absentee ballots. We Republicans. We count Democrats. For the first time in election history, we are counting voters as they come in to the polling place.
Elle Schofield was in charge of checking in voters at the South Hill School today. As she checked off voters' names signifying they placed their votes, she also checked another number next to the specific hour in which voters showed up.
"This year we have to track the number of people by the hour," she said. "It's a new system this year."
Typically in polls across America, the busiest times are right before the work day officially begins and right after it ends.
Schofield said she must count the number of voters from start to finish.
"The poll closes at 9 p.m., but if people show up at 9 we have to process them," she said. "We could be here until 11 p.m. tonight."
The South Hill School, located on Hudson Street, was the local polling place for Ward 1 Districts 4 and 5.
Schofield said her work was cut out for her.
"There is 948 people between the two districts," she said. "It's my responsibility to count all of them if they come in."
Each polling place was given a specific sheet to tally the number of voters. Here is a video of Schofield explaining the system:
Walking into the polling place at the Tompkins County Public Library located at 101 E. Green Street was a surreal experience. Having never voted in a general election in a polling place, I was giddy and excited for the events of the day to unfold. However, I wondered what actually allowed this process to work; how we can successfully hold elections in a way most countries can't. And although America's voting process has been deeply criticized, it seems it is also one of much envy. Democracy strives in this country, but it is not without the help of the many who are dedicated to the preservation of this very ideal without agenda or prejudice.
Throughout this 2008 campaign for president, we have seen the attention turn to figures with no influence on our ability to vote, from Bill Hiers to Reverend Wright to General Petraeus, to powerful corporations, to influential lobbyists. But we have not seen the real pioneers of democracy, those behind the scenes, those who sacrifice their time and dedication to make sure our democratic process is carried out in the fairest of manners. Election inspectors are examples of these people.
Essentially, the duty of the election inspector is to ensure that all elections are conducted in a fair and impartial manner. Specifically, that are responsible to ensure that all eligible voters are able to exercise their right to vote and that the election law is applied uniformly. For each polling place there is at least one republican, and one democrat election inspector to ensure fairness and stability.
As an election inspector, you must be at the specific polling place you are working at a half hour before it opens, in this case Begg and the other inspectors got to the Tompkins County Public Library at six-thirty in the morning. You are required to work the whole day as an inspector. In New York, the polls close at nine p.m., so Begg and the others expected to leave around nine thirty, a long day of work. To Begg's suprise, the wage for the day of service is $160. However, Begg claims the pay previously was below minimum wage.
To serve as an election inspector you must be a registered voter along which a resident of the county in which you wish to work at. You must not be a spouse, child, or parent of a candidate running in the district you will work, and you cannot hold any sort of public elective office or being running for office in the district you are working.
Begg and the other inspectors seemed happy at the outcome of the election during our interview. Begg claimed that well over half of all voters assigned to their polling place had voted by about 4:30 p.m., a statistic that satisfied all of the inspectors.
"We haven't had any real problems yet, and I hope that continues the rest of the day," Begg said.
As someone that prides herself on being politically informed, I was ashamed to realize I knew little to nothing about the duties and responsibilities of election inspectors. There jobs may seem small, insignifcant, or even easy, but the opposite seems true. These people took the time out to help others fulfill their constitutional right, while sacrificing most of their day. They could have been home watching the votes get tallied on CNN, scanning updated articles on the New York Times, despairingly watching Fox News cling to hope, or gleefully watching states become blue, but instead they helped the rest of us realize our own dreams of participating in a democracy that many don't have the privilege of realizing.
National elections often hinge on one critical issue. The 2008 Presidential Election and congressional elections have been driven by concerns for the economy. Sometimes the mass exposure of an issue like the economy can overshadow the truth that Americans have many issues on their mind when they go to the polls.
The polling place at South Hill Elementary School in Ithaca was fairly quiet at 3:00 this afternoon. After navigating the multitude of signs meant to direct voters (and keep out electioneers, loiterers, and honest journalists), I set up shop 100 feet away from the polls to unearth the issues weighing on voters minds.
The few people casting their ballots at South Hill had a variety of issues they felt were the key to how they voted. Education, the environment, and foreign policy all joined the economy as the number one issue on people’s minds. The sample size may not have been large, but clearly the voters in this district don’t fall into the one-track mind of economy only politics.
The video below summarizes my trip to the polling place and introduces some of the people who shared their number one political issue with me.
One note I feel that it is essential to mention, although it is not what I set out to discover. The election of a President this year was not the deciding factor for any voters coming out to vote at South Hill this afternoon. Voters answered that they always vote, regardless of the national election.
Today as Tompkins County residents enters each polling place, you might notice a sign posted outside:
New York is one of several states in the U.S. that has created a law so that voters do not wear campaign buttons, t-shirts, hats and signs within or near to polling places. Other states with this law include Nebraska and Virginia.
Although the sign implies your vote may be at risk, State Board of Elections spokesman Bob Brehm said, "No one will be thrown in jail over a shirt at the polls," according to the Observer.
Essentially the sign is asking voters to not wear campaign paraphernalia because they might be turned away from the polls. Polling officials do have the right to prevent someone from voting if they attempt to enter the polling place in such conditions.
Emily Metz, a polling place volunteer for the past thirty years stood out in her American flag sweater.
"I think that if someone is coming into vote and is undecided, their vote may be swayed because they see someone wearing a certain shirt," Metz said. "If they think that person looks 'good' or educated, it could easily determine their vote."
Metz said no one at the Ellis Hollow Apartments Polling Place had a problem following the law although it essentially violates the First Amendment. The amendment not only guarantees an American citizen to the freedom of speech, but also the freedom to petition. Many online bloggers have said that the signs are an attempt to scare away voters, a phenomenon that is becoming more and more common in increasingly competitive elections.
New York state does have a law that prohibits entering a polling place with campaigning gear or with children wearing campaign gear. Fortunately this did not seem to be major issue in Tompkins County this term.
Watch a video of the Ellis Hollow Apartment polling place below:
“On days like this, we always make sure we have a lot of coffee,” said a poll worker at the South Hill Elementary School polling location
The sky was still black and an early morning chill hung over the South Hill Elementary School early this morning, as voters lined up to cast their ballot in one of the most highly anticipated and historic elections in recent memory. It seemed as if coffee and the economy was on the mind of many voters.
Arlene*, one of the first voters at South Hill arrived at 6 a.m. in order to beat what is anticipated to be a heavy turnout. As soon as she was finished voting she headed straight for Starbucks, which was giving a free large coffee to anyone that presented an “I Voted Today” sticker.
“I really didn’t want to have to wait in line, and I decided 6 was the best. Now, I’m going to get a free cup of coffee from Starbucks,” she said.
Joseph LeCates, a Cornell graduate student, used voting, rather than coffee to calm his nerves.
“I want to feel like I’ve done everything I can. It’s the first time I’ve paid so much attention to an election. I came out early to calm my nerves.”
LeCates, like many others cited the economy as one of his primary issues when voting. Starbucks in downtown Ithaca was a hub of election excitement. Voters, fresh from the voting booths, cashed in on their free coffees and talked politics.
“It’s been a zoo, but it can only get better,” said Karen, the barista. “There have been a lot of new faces this morning.”
One woman, after receiving her free coffee, gushed about the excitement of voting.
“It’s just such a great feeling, to hear the machine when you pull the lever, and you just feel like you made a difference.”
Another man, a teacher on his way to work jovially summed up the morning. “This is such an Ithaca morning. Coffee and voting.”
In order for Election Day to run smoothly, there is an important group of people who are responsible for making it happen: poll workers. Poll workers spend the day checking in voters, answering questions and managing the polling place at which they are assigned.
In order to become a poll worker in New York State, one must be at least 18 years of age and a resident of the county or in New York City, a resident of the city; must be registered to vote in New York; and must complete a training course and exam. Students who are 16 or 17 years of age and are enrolled in high school may also be appointed as a poll worker.
David Keifer, a poll worker in Ithaca, New York, spent the day at Ellis Hollow Apartments, located at 1028 Ellis Hollow Road in Ithaca. Keifer stood at the entrance to the polling place, helping voters to check in at the correct location. "It's certainly been busy all day long," Keifer said. "We had about 70 people waiting when we opened at 6:00 this morning."
Keifer began working at polling places six years ago while living in New Jersey, where there was a big need for poll workers. "It was a great experience," Keifer said. "I felt good about serving the community."
People who spend their time working at polling places find it very rewarding. Not only do they play a part in a historic election, but they also get a chance to see the community come out to vote. "[Working at the polls] gave me a chance to get to know some of my neighbors," Keifer said. "When I came up here to New York State, I looked into it. They were also in need, so here I am."
There is a sense of excitement amongst everyone who is involved in today's election. For the poll workers who began their day before the polls opened and who will end their night long after the polls have closed, we should all be thankful that they gave their time to help make the election a success, whatever the result.
"There hasn't been a lot of people yet, but the rush will come soon, you know, when everyone gets off of work," said German Interpreter/Translator/Tutor Elke Schofield at 4 pm today.
Elke was standing by the entry way of the South Hill Elementary School polling place waiting to direct incoming voters to their District's voting area.
As I was chatting with her about how I had never used a voting booth, asking if anyone had trouble, she said "Oh, no they are quite simple, no one has asked for help."
While she was explaining the process to me, I couldn't help but peak around the corner at a separate room just off of the voting lobby. She must have caught my inquiring eye: "But this one in here, this is a bit more complicated." She led me into the room with a huge black machine that was hooked up to a computer.
This machine was one of the 43 ballot-marking devices (BMDs) from Sequoia - or electronic voting machines - that were placed in different polling areas of Tompkins County for this year's election. (This is the last year for the old-fashioned lever-voting machines to be used in New York State).
"Voters get a maximum of 3 minutes when using those machines (pointed to lever machines) , but this electronic machine can take up to 15 to 20 minutes to cast a vote," exclaimed Schofield.
"We have to have one here because of the disabled persons that come to vote, but anyone is allowed to use this if they want to. Thank God no one has, though," continued Schofield.
Schofield's frustration came from the intense 30 page manual that came with the machine. There were a series of steps within this manual telling her exactly how to operate the BMD, including how to punch in the series of codes.
She was one of the Tompkins County Board of Elections trainees that had 1 hour of training back in March to learn about the BMDs. But it didn't seem like enough for her due to the long process it takes to set-up and use the machines.
"I can't even imagine an elderly person or young person trying to figure this out let alone a disabled person," Schofield expressed her concern about the new voting machines.
Earlier today, the Ithaca Journal had a brief blurb mentioning some unhappy voters with the new voting machines. However, the October 27th issue of Tompkins Weekly gave several accounts of disabled voters who were more than happy with the BMDs.
As I thanked Elke for her generosity of showing me around the polling area, she said "Come back next year and we will have all of those new machines."
I guess we'll have to wait and see what the future will bring of the electronic voting machines. So savor the feeling of pulling that lever, because next year it's out with old and in with the new.
Check out the process of the BMD machine described by Schofield and a brief video of the detailed manual:
If you are looking for a one-stop shop for election coverage here in Tompkins County, Ithaca College's radio station 92 WICB will have plenty of it today. The station has set up a special Web page for tracking election results nationally and locally.
There will also be lots of on air election coverage tomorrow night on the station, located at 91.7 FM on your radio dial.
National election results are easy enough to find, but for all the local Tompkins County races, WICB has you covered.
With Election Day rapidly approaching the question on everyone’s mind is who will be the next president of the United States of America, Republican Senator John McCain or Democratic Senator Barack Obama?
But aren't we forgetting a few names? What about former Congressman Bob Barr, pastor and radio talk show host Chuck Baldwin, Congresswomen Cynthia McKinney, or Ralph Nader. Contrary to public belief McCain and Obama are not the only people competing in the U.S presidential election of 2008.
With the media blitz covering the presidential election mainstream media fervently covers Senators Obama and McCain campaign in “swing” states. Across the country, and even the world, people have paid close attention to the three presidential debates between the two nominees, and one for their vice presidential running mates. It's impossible to go anywhere and not see or hear names like Obama, McCain, or Palin. So how is that names like Nader, Barr, and McKinney are seldom mentioned?
“I don’t even know who is the third party for this election,” said Ithaca College Senior Collin McDermott. “It would be fair to have a third party actually competing. Being covered in the news media and having equal power and access like the other two major parties but it would be difficult because its just American culture to have a two party system. It either the democrat or the republican.”
Is it the media subtle way of letting us know that these people just don’t matter?
“Voting for a third party candidate is a waste because people only pay attention to the two top candidates,” said Abdul-Wahab.
What happened to the saying that, “Every vote counts!” The media bombards us with messages that it is our civic duty and the greatest opportunity we will ever have as average citizens to shape the government.
Presidents are decided by two systems: the popular vote and the Electoral College vote. Whichever candidate wins the majority of votes in a given state wins the electoral votes of that state. To win the office a candidate must win 207 electoral votes.
Vice Presidential canidate, Rosa Clemente, of the Green Party had this to say about voting. "Voting is the easiest thing someone could do to be civically engaged. I don't think voting solves anything but for the most part voting puts in people that as a people you have to take accountabilyt for pushing your issue out there."
Clemente also had this to say, "If they vote for the Green party, every vote counts. You need five percent of the electorate to become a major party."
Honestly speaking, to vote for a politician unaffiliated with either major party, in most cases, means voting for someone has no realistic chance at winning office. When this is the reality it is easy to believe that a vote for someone other than a Republican or a Democrat is a “wasted vote.”
“It’s not fair but that’s what it is,” said Ithaca College sophomore Farida Abdul-Wahab. “ It’s a race and in a race you’re not looking for who crosses third your looking for those two who may come in first place.”
A pair of local high school soccer teams claimed Section 4 Championships on the soccer field this weekend.
The Ithaca High School boys soccer team will share the Class AA championship with Vestal after the teams tied 1-1 in a game played at the Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta. The Little Red then defeated Vestal 4-3 in penalty kicks to advance to the State tournament.
The Lansing girls soccer team won the Class B title for the third consecutive season, ousting Chenango Forks 1-0 at SUNY Cortland.
For game stories and pictures from the games check out The Ithaca Journal's coverage.
Every weekend since the second weekend in September, Dave Halpert and 20 or 30 of his friends drive to cities and towns in Pennsylvania going door-to-door canvassing for Barack Obama in the 2008 Presidential election.
Every one has different script, but all say generally the same thing, “Hi, my name is David, I’m a volunteer with Obama and were just seeing if you decided which way you are leaning in the election?” It becomes more of a conversation, not trying to convert them in terms of switching their votes, just seeing where they are coming from. He has had two long talks with McCain supporters just trying to find where the other guy is coming from.
He said, “After you introduce yourself as a volunteer, most people, especially with this election, want to talk about it and they will either say they are for Obama or McCain. If they are undecided, you ask what issues are important to them and then majority of the people will take 5-10, sometimes 20 minutes to talk about things and you get to hear Americans talking about different issues that are important to them, and it’s actually fun talking to them.”
When asked if he ever gets the door slammed in his face, he said usually not, its uncommon, but it does happen on occasion. Although he’s not saying that every time he and the other supporters talk to a person, they convince them to vote for Obama. If the person believes Obama is a poor candidate then you won’t influence him. Some people are so against Obama they will make mean-spirited comments.
Dave believes a lot of people are trying to reverse what Bush has done in the past, “a lot of people are upset with the way the country is headed and want it to change… It really makes a difference with one-to-one contact, but then again a lot of people it might not affect their decision.”
Due to some complications, I was not able to join Dave and his friends on one of these campaigning trips to Pennsylvania. It seems reporters are not always welcome, but rather they are strict on going door-to-door with Obama supporters only.
Another Saturday at Butterfield Stadium, another record-breaking performance for junior running back Thomas Bergerstock.
The Ithaca College Bombers football team won their fourth straight game, routing Springfield College 37-8. The win came on Family Weekend on the South Hill. Out of all the positives from the win, the biggest was Bergerstock’s performance in the running game.
The junior out of Webster, NY ran for 175 yards and four touchdowns on the day, and broke two distinguished Bomber records. His four scores gave him 20 on the season, breaking Jeff Whitman’s record of 19 back in 1992. In addition, his 120 total points scored also broke Jeff Whitman’s record which he also set during the ’92 season.
Bergerstock’s great performance can also be attributed to the offensive line, which created massive holes for him to run through and gave quarterback Dan Juvan extra room to work in the pocket. The front five, which was honored as the Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Week earlier this season, certainly deserved a lot of credit for leading the Bombers to another victory.
Now, Ithaca moves on from the easy part of their schedule and returns to the road for two very tough games to close out the season. This Saturday, the Bombers visit the Alfred Saxons with the Empire 8 title potentially on the line. Then, they head to Cortland on the 15th for the Cortaca Jug, where they could face an undefeated Red Dragons team. Should be an exciting finish to an already wild season!
Here’s a map showing the sites of Ithaca’s final two games as well as Thomas Bergerstock’s hometown of Webster, NY. For more on Saturday’s win, you can read this article.
Unmistakably, the 2008 presidential election has had its ugly moments. Ad campaigns have bashed candidates, misrepresented facts, stirred up heated debates, and maybe even changed some voter’s minds. According to a Talking Points Memo, John McCain Campaign Ads during the month of October were nearly 100 percent devoted to attack ads. Also, according to the Wall Street Journal, upon the naming of Sarah Palin as the Vice President choice, Barack Obama assigned 30 lawyers, investigators and opposition researchers to go into Alaska in search of “dirt” on Sarah Palin. However, is this really anything we the voters didn’t expect? This election is in many eyes the most important in history and just because it is so incredibly important doesn’t mean it is the only election to utilize the animosity of negative campaigning.
However, John Geer, professor of Political Science at Vanderbilt University says, “Negative ads have more useful information than the positive ads by a number of different criteria. Negative ads tend to have facts in them, they tend to be more about issues than personal traits and they tend to be more specific when talking about these issues.”
Geer claims, “you’ve got to give a role for attacks and negativity in democracy, if you do away with it you do away with democracy so it goes hand in hand. Sometimes it makes us uncomfortable, and sometimes it goes too far, but you need it and we need a society especially among the news media to learn to appreciate that it actually has some benefits. If you’re going to buy a car you need to know the good and the bad. Do you want to buy a car with only the information with the car dealer? No, because they're only going to tell you one side of the story and candidates are going to do the same thing.”
James Seward, New York State Senator representing the Tompkins County area says that negative campaigning has not been a part of his campaign this year.
Don Barber, the democratic candidate running against Seward also acknowledges that negative campaigning has been kept at a minimum in their election. Barber says that he believes elections should definitely be more focused on issues rather than campaign smearing, especially with the current Presidential election.
Geer says “negative ads have the ability to advance your case but also hurt it if you go too far.” This was the case with McCain’s “sex education” ad, which is shown below.
Geer says, “that ad went too far and McCain got a lot of push back on it. I think it backfired on him because you could technically read the bill as suggesting sex education but that’s just silly, that wasn’t the case. It’s an example of when you go too far it doesn’t work for you.”
Another ad that Geer recognized as going too far was a 2006 ad run against Congressman Michael Arcuri, titled “bad call.”
“They used the fact that apparently somebody misdialed a number and called a phone sex line for five seconds using the taxpayers dollars. It was a disaster for the candidate to air that ad because it is not even close to the truth. If you go beyond what the evidence supports, negative campaigning backfires,” Geer says.
However, negative campaigning does do something that positive campaigning about yourself as a candidate doesn’t, it allows the other side to come out. Seward calls this “comparative campaigning.”
“When you compare records of service and of voting records on the part of the legislator and bring out the facts that is what I call 'comparative advertising.' I think there is a line that is crossed when you get into personalities and some of these side issues but when it's based on political persons record of service that is documented through a voting record or any other statements in the past, I think that is fair game.”
Negative advertising in any other aspect, Seward claims, is not something he condones. An example of the "comparative campaigning" can be seen in a recent ad by the Republican National Committee shown below.
Mackenzie Dohr, a Culture and Communications major here at Ithaca College says that negative campaigning for her will most likely do more harm then good.
“When a candidate focuses more on smearing their opponent it makes them seem as if they have no real platform to stand on so it hurts them in my opinion,” she says.
All in all, as the voters that will decide this election, we need to educate ourselves by looking at each side, at each different kind of ad campaign, and each side of an issue. Negative campaigning can help us, but it can also hurt us, this is the same with each candidate as well. No matter what candidate you support, it is ultimately up to you to decide how the political game is played. Seward says the only way to stop the negative advertising that features shameless personal attacks is to reject them so they are not successful. At the end of the day, that is the responsibility of us, the voter.
The Ithaca Youth Bureau’s Rotary Soccer League concluded its season this Sunday at Cass Park. The league hosts teams from kindergarten all the way up to 12th grade and features co-ed and single gender leagues. Games were played every Sunday from September 21st until today. Below are some pictures from one of today’s games.
President/Vice President: check. State Supreme Court Justice: check. Congress: check. State Senator: check. Check, check, check, check.
Fold, lick, seal, stamp, mail.
Sounds boring, but for a first time voter, the excitement is practically unbearable.
There are few words to describe the feeling of a very first vote, but Michelle Roy summed it all up: "I VOTED! It's an exhilarating feeling to know that I might be the one vote that makes a difference," says Roy.
Her excitement was quickly interrupted when one of her friends mentioned to her that absentee ballots are rarely counted, unless the race is close.
"Are you serious?" thought Roy: "When I heard that I was just like, why did I even vote then? I wanted my vote to count."
Looking for the right answer, I chose to find out more with the help of Ithaca College Politics Professor Don Beachler. "Your vote does count," he reassured me.
In response to the myth Michelle had heard, Beachler said, "People are generally uninformed which generates into a lot of misinformation and then they begin to believe it themselves."
"Your vote counts. What most people miss are the preliminary results" said another Ithaca College Politics Professor, Juan Arroyo.
According to Arroyo, when the results are given the day after the election, news reports are careful to declare the results preliminary ones. It is not until all ballots are in that they declare the results official. This can take up to a month after the day of the election, depending if the race is close or not. (Just like in the 2000 Presidential Election in Florida, when a full recount was tallied).
Tompkins County Board of Elections Democratic Commissioner, Stephen DeWitt, said: "We wait until one week after election day to count the absentee ballots. Military ballots have 13 days to get here. A lot of people get a misconception that absentee ballots aren't counted. We count all the ballots and they get tallied toward the total. Every vote gets counted," DeWitt responded to the assumption that absentee ballots are a moot vote.
For Tompkins County, the absentee and military ballots must be postmarked no later than one day before election day. Absentee ballots can be received up until November 12th while military ballots can be received up until November 17th.
Arroyo explained the reason why mail-in ballots aren't due on election day: "Well...a candidate might say something really controversial a couple days before the election, and that might completely change someone's vote, but it would be too late if that person already mailed in the ballot."
If a state is clearly leaning toward one candidate than the other, many believe that absentee ballots are pointless. "Most of the time they won't matter," says Arroyo.
But don't let that discourage all of you absentee voters, because your vote might not be included in the preliminary results, but they will undoubtedly be counted in the final tally.
As Arroyo said, "Don't worry, you can still tell your grandchildren that you were a part of the 2008 Presidential Election."
Obama’s candidacy has had huge implications for African Americans, while Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin have made it clearer than ever that national politics don’t have to be a male-dominated arena. Asian Americans, however, are a group that have received considerably less attention. According to the Ithaca Asian American Association, or IAAA, 17% of Ithacans are Asian American—not an insignificant percentage. In states like Virginia and Nevada, according to a Voice of America article, Asian Americans could even swing the election. Participation among Asian Americans in politics, however, tends to be inconsistent from place to place. According to Tompkins County legislator and Cornell graduate student Nathan Shinagawa, the key factor in Asian American political participation is a generational one. In states like California, where Asian American populations have been well-established for multiple generations, residents have elected legislators like Senator Leland Yee and Assemblymember Mike Eng. In New York State, however, Asian American populations are newer and so political participation is less firmly established. “When you go to places like New York State, then you can count the number of Asian American elected officials on one hand,” Shinagawa said. There are a variety of reasons for new generations of Asian immigrants to be uninvolved politically. Amy Kwo Somchanhmavong, a member of the IAAA’s board of directors, said that some Asian Americans avoid politics due to a toxic political environment in their home countries. Others suffer from a lack of a real sense of belonging within the new culture. “There’s this whole perception of Asian Americans as an immigrant population, that they’re new to the area, that they don’t speak the language…so the sense of foreignness has an impact,” Somchanhmavong said. Thankfully, as Asian American populations have time to settle and grow, they become more and more integrated which, according to Shinagawa, will lead to increased participation and more Asian American candidates, just as is happening in California. “The treasurer of California is an Asian American guy. In Santa Clara county, there’s more than 40, I think, elected officials that are Asian American. And so it’s huge there.” The puzzle pieces for increased participation in more parts of the country are already in place. Shinagawa said that more than half of Asian Americans in US colleges and universities were born in the United States. These populations are educated, well informed, and understand American culture and politics. “Give them another 10 years, and those people will be running for local-level office,” Shinagawa said. Tiffany Cheng, spokesperson for the Ithaca College Asian Culture Club, drew from her own experience living in New York City’s Chinatown to explain why early generations of Asian immigrants tend to avoid politics. Her explanation echoed Somchanhmavong’s: Chinatown residents, Cheng said, feel less comfortable outside of Chinatown because values, language, and overall culture suddenly change. Outside of their ethnic enclave, they feel they have to adhere to a separate and sometimes unfamiliar set of rules. “We’re pretty loud and outspoken within our own community because we feel like these are people that can connect to us. But once we step out of Chinatown, Chinese people kind of get shy about it.” In addition, newcomers to the country might too preoccupied with immediate needs to worry about politics. Settling into a new place is never easy, and some priorities are going to take precedence over others. “They’re really focused on having a good job, getting enough money to pay for bills…you know, just making sure you have enough money to live for the next day. So they’re not really worried about politics or anything like that,” Cheng said.
Related Media:
A piece on the Asian American vote, courtesy CBS News.
Not everyone will pull the lever on election day. For those who will be unavoidably absent from their counties; unable to vote at a polling place due to illness, injury or disability; or are patients in in a Veteran's Administration or detainees in jail for convictions other than felonies; participation in Election Day will be via absentee ballot.
As of October 29th, about 4,000 absentee ballots were mailed to voters registered in Tomkins County. Especially for voters residing outside of counties in which they are registered, it can be difficult to keep up with the local politics of their area. "It's hard to know who to vote for because I am so removed," Kyle Stevens said. Stevens is a resident of Otsego County and a junior at Ithaca College.
Stevens has gathered information from different sources about candidates for local, state and national offices. The internet has been his primary source for many of the candidates' backgrounds and positions on different issues. "I use candidates' websites because I can find their stances on what matters most to me," Stevens said. Campaign websites offer media such as footage of debates and news feeds to keep updated on the most recent campaign developments.
Local candidates, Stevens experienced, were harder to find online. He instead received information by mail after registering for an absentee ballot. According to Tompkins County Board of Elections Commissioner Stephen DeWitt, candidates are able to acquire a list of absentee voters from county BOE offices.
“Various campaigns take responsibility for absentee ballots and will send mailings to people who are on the permanent absentee ballot list," Irene W. Stein, chair of the Tomkins County Democratic Committee, said. "I think that candidates want the vote and they do everything they can to communicate with the voter, and voters exhibit varying degrees of interest...it’s a joint responsibility. It’s the job of the candidate if he wants to win, and the responsibility of the voter, and sometimes these things come together."
In Tompkins County, the Board of Elections will be open on Monday. Voters can still request an absentee ballot in person, and still have the chance to take part in Tuesday's historic election.
What’s the best way to get college students to vote in the upcoming election? Drive a bus around the country and invite students to come aboard and learn just how easy and important it is.
That’s what Project Vote Smart has been doing over the last year in preparation for the election coming up on Tuesday. The bus, which is over 45 feet long, travels across the country in an attempt to deliver to potential voters what it calls a “Voter Self-Defense System.” This program helps teach those who come aboard how to avoid being swayed by incorrect information stemming from political campaigns.
College campaigns in general have recently tried to stress the idea of getting out to vote and making informed decisions. This year, MTV conducted a “Get Out the Vote” campaign where they had several big music celebrities discussing the election and explaining the need to voice your opinion. The College Democrats of America also have created a website where they stress the need to inform students of their right to vote and encourages them to report incidents where they are intimidated from doing so.
The main goal of these campaigns is helping to increase votership among college students, a population that traditionally puts out low voting totals. When speaking with Ithaca College sophomore Ann Henry, she noted the importance of college students getting out and at least being informed about the current issues and the candidates. You can see her full response in the video below.
The Project Vote Smart bus recently made stops on the Ithaca College campus, as well as campuses around the Northeast. Two of these were Hofstra University, which featured an appearance by the bus for the final presidential debate, and St. John’s University’s Queens Campus. In both of these stops, students were able to gain an important perspective on making informed decisions while voting.
Matthew Krul, a junior at Hofstra University, discussed his experience at the bus saying, “I really felt like I learned so much more and now am capable of going into a polling place with confidence that I will make the right choice in voting.” This kind of feeling is what the Project Vote Smart bus tour hopes for. At St. John’s, junior Branden Lam noted that “The idea of a bus touring around campuses to try and get students to go out and vote in such an important election is really great. I am happy they came and taught me some important things.”
Whether it be a bus traveling around the country or a 30 second advertisement played several times on television or radio, it is clear that college students are being targeted to learn about the importance of voting. In addition, they are being taught how to make smart choices when voting. These lessons are priceless tools that can make a big difference in how our country turns out following the next several elections.
Below, I have included a map of some of the locations where the bus has visited over in the Northeast over the last month. In addition, you can read this article from the Ithaca Journal for more information about the Project Vote Smart bus tour’s visit to Ithaca. For more about Project Vote Smart, please visit their website.
This blog is a class experiment in creating multimedia journalism for the web. Our goal here is to create an online news source that focuses on the stories in Tompkins County, New York FOR the people of Tompkins County.
We are a News Reporting & Writing class inside the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York. Our goal is to become THE online news source for this area.
All of the content generated on this blog is by students within this class. We hope you enjoy our blog, and stop by from time to time to catch up on what is going on in Tompkins County.
