ALBANY – The state attorney general’s office reached a settlement with the Orange County Board of Elections allowing 30 Chinese-American residents of the Town of Deerpark to vote in next week’s elections.
The residency of those individuals, most of whom are students at the Fei Tian College there, had been challenged by the town supervisor, but Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said Thursday that no basis for his challenge to the students’ citizenship was ever made and that the cancelled voter registration of two residents must be restored.
The agreement with the board of elections requires that it comply with federal and state laws that prohibit voting discrimination on the basis of race or national origin; that it reject the challenges as defective and issue confirmation to the students that they are eligible to vote; that they adopt new policies and procedures for addressing voter challenges to ensure compliance with state and federal voting laws; and that they train poll workers to identify intimidation and harassment at the polls.
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