POUGHKEEPSIE – Dutchess County Republican Elections Commissioner Erik Haight appears to be in the sights of State Attorney General Letitia James, for his efforts to prevent college students from voting on campus in New York.
On the same day that the League of Women Voters sued the Dutchess County Board of Elections and the Republican Commissioner Erik Haight for ignoring state law, James won an appeal, fought by Republicans, regarding absentee ballots.
While Haight has fought, unsuccessfully, to prevent Bard College students from voting on campus, and losing, James appealed and won a decision regarding absentee ballots.
“We should be taking every step possible to empower voters and ease New Yorkers’ access to the polls. I was proud to defend New York’s absentee ballot reforms, and am happy with the decision to keep these commonsense election integrity initiatives in place,” James said after winning on Tuesday.
The James statement is in direct opposition to Haight’s denial of state law.
The lawsuit against Haight shares the facts of the appellate case that James won on Tuesday.
Haight has cost taxpayers more than $120,000 in taxpayer dollars defending him in lawsuits brought by Bard College students regarding polling places on their campus. Haight lost those cases.
Haight’s history of making it difficult for college students to vote on campus was highlighted again on Tuesday when he was sued for not providing a polling place on a college campus with more than 300 students. Haight has been accused of violating a very clear state law that requires polling sites to be established on college campuses with more than 300 students living there.
