Regarding a bill in both the State Senate, and Assembly ( Senate Bill S7725A; Assembly Bill A4759B)

An open letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul, Sen. Jack Martins, and Assemblymember Gina Sillitti:

Regarding a bill in both the State Senate, and Assembly ( Senate Bill S7725A; Assembly Bill A4759B)

On Tuesday morning, April 2, at 4:45 a.m., I left my home for the brief ride to our Village Hall to go to our polling place for the Democratic primary for president.  One of the responsibilities that trustees in our village have is to open and close our Village Hall as a local polling place, so that those who have the responsibility of assuring that those exercising the most fundamental act of the democratic process can do so, knowing that voting will be fair, accurate nd safe.

It was threatening rain as I pulled up to the Village Hall.  I sat in my car, waiting to open the door before 5 a.m., when the workers would arrive.  My village is as safe a place as I can imagine, and yet since it was before dawn and the streets were quiet, I felt uneasy being there, alone.

At a few minutes to 5, I opened the door, and waited inside—again feeling inexplicably, but undeniably, vulnerable.  

Then the door opened for the first poll worker to arrive.  A young black woman entered with a smile—we said hello to each other—and then that awkward moment waiting for conversation to start, or not.  She volunteered that she was the Democratic poll watcher, to make sure the process was proper.  I asked her how long a ride it was for her to arrive.  She gave me a look. “Ride?  I walked here.” And by her expression, I took that to mean some distance.  

This woman walked alone in the dark at a time when it could start raining at any minute to make sure my election was proper.

I asked how she got involved doing this work.  She said that she was asked by an older woman that she knew to join her working at the polls. I wouldn’t be surprised if this took place in her church by the way she described the circumstances.  Making small talk, I told her that I’d been involved in many community organizations over the years, and that I always felt that one of my most important jobs was to find my replacement for the time when I’d stop doing whatever it was I was involved in at the time. 

She gave a knowing laugh, understanding that’s the way service works.  She explained that she had to be trained and certified each year prior to her serving. 

And then she said the following: Today was going to be easy. It’s an unopposed primary.  But November would be different.  None of her co-workers were feeling safe about what would be coming in the fall.  She made inferences that this was being discussed in her training.  She made references to the poll workers in Georgia. 

The words that spilled out of my mouth at that point were: “Thank you for your service.”  She laughed again, acknowledging the simultaneous praise and irony.

And that’s why I’m writing.  This is wrong.  People like her need to feel safe and be safe on Election Day.  All the poll workers, all the voters, and all those who may try to subvert the voting process in some way need to know what is being done to protect them, and our democratic process.

This is the first time I’ve ever expressed this to those that we’ve elected, the officials serving the public:  Get To Work!  And tell us what you’re doing to protect workers like this woman, and  what’s being done to make sure our elections are fair, accurate, and safe.

Martin Adickman

Trustee

Village of Russell Gardens