Opinion: Caroline: The right to vote and feel represented
“Sitting at the heart of the nation’s representative democracy, enshrined in the Constitution, is the right to vote. It is sacred, fundamental, and still not absolutely guaranteed for all communities across the country.” (https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/03/fighting-for-equality-at-the-ballot-box/). Now, in our little rural Town of Caroline, our votes too are being threatened by local Democratic leaders.
Democratic leaders are trying to stop a rapidly growing bipartisan effort by our residents to vote for a governing body responsive to our needs. The incumbents are running for reelection; however, we have put forth our own longtime Democratic candidates from the Town of Caroline to challenge them.
Simply put, many of our residents agree collectively, regardless of political ideology, that everyone should have a fair chance at a good life. The incumbents’ narrow self-interest has failed to meet the needs of our community. Challenging these Town Board members with other selected Democrats from our town is legal. In a democracy, the power to vote for the candidate of our choice is a given.
Despite election laws being adhered to meticulously, these local Democratic leaders wrote to the District Attorney requesting residents in our community be criminally charged for switching parties. Yet, this self-regulated “purity test” administered by Democratic leaders would have disenfranchised Town of Caroline voters despite being legal. The charge by the District Attorney would have invalidated our vote.
Despite their claims, no charges have been issued by the District Attorney. The reason we were not charged was our residents did nothing wrong. Voters can switch parties if they follow election laws and meet the deadline set for months before the election. This was done. Our vote, our choice. There was no voter fraud as they claimed; yet they publicly shamed and accused us of criminal wrongdoing posting on Facebook at the Tompkins County Democratic site. There were also suspicious anonymous leaks to area newspapers.
As a side, please view the article on Don Barber below. Don Barber was the former Supervisor of the Town of Caroline Board for many years. Don signed a recent letter written by John Fracchia complaining about residents switching parties when this is exactly what Mr. Barber did. The hypocrisy is notable.
“When I ran, I was a registered Republican,” he said. He’d always been a GOP member, and, at the time, the entire town board was, too. He said, “In order to have an elected position in Caroline, it was pretty easy to see that you needed to be a Republican to win.” … Barber decided to run for office. When he approached the Republican Party about running, he didn’t get the endorsement, so he went to the Democrats. “I asked if they’d run a Republican, and they said they’d run anybody, so I ran.” He won a seat—though he wasn’t the top vote-getter—and switched parties right afterward.
Why was it legal for Don Barber to switch parties but no others? This crying foul was merely a political trick to stop a rising tide of bipartisan residents against their campaign. These local Democratic leaders are using their power and muscle to attempt to disqualify voters that do not agree with them and want to vote instead for other longtime Democratic challengers. How undemocratic to pick and choose whose vote should count. This was a scary maneuver meant to keep our residents away from the polls and deny their vote. Their disregard for democracy is chilling.
Of course, the irony is the Democratic leaders were the ones in the wrong because denying someone the right to vote by intimidation is illegal. Voter intimidation comes in many forms but certainly the following meet the criteria:
“Spread false information about voter fraud, voting requirements, or related criminal penalties” https://www.law.georgetown.edu/icap/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2020/10/Voter-Intimidation-Fact-Sheet.pdf
“Individuals spreading false rumors or making false statements that there are negative consequences to voting.” https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2022/attorney-general-james-issues-voter-protection-guidance-ahead-november-election
And the law against voter intimidation: https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2022/attorney-general-james-announces-election-protection-hotline-ahead-november
“All voters have the right to vote freely and without fear of intimidation, coercion, or threats to their safety. Voter intimidation is prohibited by federal and state law.” https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/oag_guidance_re_voter_intimidation.pdf
Where to report voter intimidation:
If, however, New Yorkers experience any intimidation or other interference with their right to vote, or even any attempts to intimidate or otherwise interfere with that right, those incidents should be reported to the NYAG’s Election Protection Hotline by either calling (866) 390-2992 or visiting https://electionhotline.ag.ny.gov/. Voters and boards of election should also report incidents involving potentially dangerous conduct to local law enforcement immediately, in addition to reporting those complaints to our office.
The Town of Caroline deserves better from their elected officials. After this unfair and dishonest tactic, one understands why our residents prefer to vote for other Democratic candidates than the incumbents. Time for new governing members who truly care about our residents and our community.
Signed,
Sandra Zwerger
