Ulster County Board of Elections Meeting with Commissioners John Quigley (R) and Ashley Torres (D)
2/13/2025
Present: Dare Thompson, Cindy Bell, Emilie Hauser, Deborah Marr
Topic #1: Youth engagement
Voter pre-registration can be done at 16 years old and can be poll workers at 17 years old. JQ says there were about 10 pre-registered poll workers last year. There are possibilities for pre-registered voters and others of high-school age to volunteer at the BOE, for instance, testing voting machines for techies, helping with mail and other supervised jobs.
Topic #2: Other NYS BoE trends
Some counties have part-time commissioners and others use the office as a stepping stone toward future political endeavors, leaving deputies to fulfil the actual work of a functioning department. There are generally 10-15% new county commissioners every year, but 2024 saw a 40-50% turnover due to planned retirements, as many planning to retire stayed on to see the presidential election through. This does leave a good opportunity for fresh ideas and innovation by the younger and less experienced commissioners, especially because of the tech-driven processes being used now and in the future.
LWVMHR members are planning to meet with the Orange County BOE soon, and since that county has experienced some trust issues among voters, Dare asked what might be appropriate for them to help create a useful relationship with LWVMHR? One suggestion was, what is their election reporting plan? LWVMHR might encourage them to be transparent in their process so that voters can gain confidence in the process. Apparently,there is some uneven timing with reporting between local and state websites happening. Observers are checking state and local results with side-by-side monitors and find that they are not reporting the same numbers at the same time.
Topic #3: 2025 Elections
The 2025 Presidential election was much improved over the Covid event. Generally, all went smoothly with very few exceptions. There was also an Emergency Preparedness team on call at the BOE office for the duration of open polling. Various law enforcement agencies were present and were able to diffuse a number of situations through enhanced communication between BOE staff, Emergency Preparedness team and officers in the field. UCBOE was singular in its process and it’s likely that other counties will follow suit in the future.
A security inspection of each polling place was also conducted in advance and this was done at no cost to the BOE or the county. Other counties are likely to follow suit.
There is an upcoming issue of polling places (particularly firehouses) demanding more money for hosting elections. ARPA and other temporary funding has ended and this will place an additional burden on the taxpayers of Ulster County. In many cases, these facilities are the only option that exists in Ulster County’s more rural towns.
There was a conversation about ERIC, a nationwide voter registration resource, with one commissioner for and one against. For more information, go to https://www.npr.org/2023/10/20/1207142433/eric-investigation-follow-up-voter-data-election-integrity. It is noteworthy that LWVUS has been working to support this.
There was also disagreement regarding the SAVE Act as well as the current lawsuit against New York State’s Green Light Law allowing migrants to carry driver’s licenses. The SAVE Act, in part, requires proof of US citizenship when registering to vote. LWVUS finds the SAVE Act requirements to be an obvious attempt at voter suppression. More information can be found at LWVUS Opposes SAVE Act | League of Women Voters. The NYS Green Light Law requires that drivers carry insurance and pass testing to prove driving knowledge and ability.
We thank the Ulster County BOE Commissioners for giving so generously of their time and expertise. They agreed on most issues and were patient and respectful while explaining their differing viewpoints.