Last year, we, along with Bard College President Leon Botstein and The Andrew Goodman Foundation, successfully filed suit against the Dutchess County Board of Elections (BOE) demanding the relocation of a polling place to Bard’s campus that is accessible to the vast majority of District 5 voters. Nearly 70% percent of District 5’s eligible voters reside at Bard. While the ruling was in our favor, it only allowed for the accessible polling site to operate during the 2020 election, so there’s still work to be done.
Our solution was practical and simple: move the polling place to Bard Campus Center’s multipurpose room. Its larger size compared to the original site ensured the health and safety of all voters to be safeguarded. Students and the off-campus community were able to vote safely and with ease, within walking distance. The site was a resounding success, attracting a considerable number of voters on Election Day while ensuring the safety, security, and accessibility of Red Hook’s District 5 voters.
With this year’s elections fast approaching, we cannot allow this location to disappear. We ask the Board of Elections to allow this space to remain as a District 5 polling location indefinitely. Additionally, together with the Bard Administration, we are supporting legislation that will amend New York Election Law to require that whenever a majority of the residents of an election district reside at any New York state college, the polling site for such an election district shall be located on the campus.
We won’t allow voter suppression to continue in our community, and we hope our request for a permanent polling location on Bard’s campus is realized.
Sincerely,
Sadia Saba and Kathy Gaweda
Bard College Class of 2021 Seniors
Red Hook, NY
