Voting Is a Fundamental Right
In 2022, after a fight that had been going on for nearly a quarter century, Bard College secured a fully functional campus polling site for that year’s general election, and hopefully beyond.
Scroll down for court decisions, videos, and more about the history of campus advocacy to gain equal access to the ballot.
In 2022, after a fight that had been going on for nearly a quarter century, Bard College secured a fully functional campus polling site for that year’s general election, and hopefully beyond.
Scroll down for court decisions, videos, and more about the history of campus advocacy to gain equal access to the ballot.
The Fight for a Polling Place
Bard College Secures Fully Functioning On-Campus Polling Site
This Dutchess County Board of Election's decision appears to be the final chapter in a fight for student voting rights at Bard that has been taking place since 1999. This victory comes just after the 50th anniversary of the 26th Amendment, which lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 and outlaws age discrimination in ballot access. These actions at Bard College helped inspire change to New York Election Law, which now mandates that qualifying colleges and universities situate on-campus polling locations across the State of New York. Since 2020, Elections@Bard has partnered with the Andrew Goodman Foundation in this fight.
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2021
DC Legislature Public Comments
November 4, 2021
Bard College vs. Dutchess County
October 28, 2021
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- 8.13.21 Bard’s Supplemental Response to Haight
- 8.10.21 Democratic Commissioner Black Response to Lawsuit and Haight
- 8.10.21 Bard's Response to Haight
- 7.15.21 Bard Lawsuit Against Board of Elections for Voter Suppression
- 8.2.21 Republican Commissioner Haight Motion to Dismiss
- 4.30.21 Letter to Commissioners on Poll Sites
- 4.1.21 Letter to Commissioners Failure to Assign Poll Sites
- 3.12.21 Letter to Commissioners on Public Hearing
- 3.2.21 Even Blue States Suppress Student Voters (The Nation)
- 2.25.21 DCBOE Public Meeting (Bard CCE YouTube)
- 2.19.21 Letter to Commissioners on Poll Site
- 8.13.21 Bard’s Supplemental Response to Haight
- 8.10.21 Democratic Commissioner Black Response to Lawsuit and Haight
- 8.10.21 Bard's Response to Haight
- 7.15.21 Bard Lawsuit Against Board of Elections for Voter Suppression
- 8.2.21 Republican Commissioner Haight Motion to Dismiss
- 4.30.21 Letter to Commissioners on Poll Sites
- 4.1.21 Letter to Commissioners Failure to Assign Poll Sites
- 3.12.21 Letter to Commissioners on Public Hearing
- 3.2.21 Even Blue States Suppress Student Voters (The Nation)
- 2.25.21 DCBOE Public Meeting (Bard CCE YouTube)
- 2.19.21 Letter to Commissioners on Poll Site
- 8.26.2020 Presentation to Red Hook Town Board (Panda TV23 YouTube)
- Powerpoint of Presentation to Town Board
- ADA Non-Compliance Video (Bard CCE YouTube)
- 2.28.2020 Letter to the Dutchess County Board of Elections on Polling Location
This concern follows a history of voting accessibility issues for college-age voters in Dutchess County. In 1979, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Symm vs. The United States that denying college students the presumption of bona fide residency was unconstitutional. Decades after that decision, college students in Dutchess County faced undue and unjustified barriers to voting. The egregious disenfranchisement tactics occurred consistently until 2004. During that time, young registered voters in Dutchess County were systematically barred from voting through the use of a “supplemental” questionnaire. The Board of Elections required this supplemental form exclusively from voters residing at college residences. The practice ended in 2004, after students and administrators from Bard, Vassar, and Marist, civil rights organizations, and a bipartisan group of local elected officials united to put an end to this unjust practice. Since then, conditions have improved, but litigation was required in 2009 and 2012 to ensure the equal treatment and enfranchisement of college-age voters.
In addition to the unnecessary distance, the polling site is located on an unlit and high-speed county road that has no pedestrian sidewalks. The present polling site is irrefutably inaccessible by foot. A polling site on Bard’s campus would be immediately accessible by foot to 68 percent of all voters in this voting district.
Furthermore, the current polling site is inaccessible by mass transit. However, a polling site at Bard College would be accessible by LOOP bus. It is important to note that, in 2010, NYS Election Law was amended to give preference to sites accessible by mass transit; “each polling place designated, whenever practicable, shall be situated directly on a public transportation route” (NY Elec L § 4-104 [6] [a]).
Voter Map Factsheet (PDF)
Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act
False Board of Elections ADA Report
ADA Compliance Report D 5 Red Hook Submitted to NY State Supreme Court
Election Polling Place 2020 Full Filing
ADA Guidelines Board of Elections
Press Conference: ADA and Voting Rights (Bard CCE YouTube)
Letter to County Executive Marcus Molinaro
ADA Compliance Report D 5 Red Hook Submitted to NY State Supreme Court
Election Polling Place 2020 Full Filing
ADA Guidelines Board of Elections
Press Conference: ADA and Voting Rights (Bard CCE YouTube)
Letter to County Executive Marcus Molinaro
Reclaiming Your Rights, Fighting Disenfranchisement
Voter suppression of college students in Dutchess County was rampant until 1999, when Bard and Vassar students—with the support of both institutions—threatened a lawsuit against the Dutchess County Board of Elections. In response, a committee appointed by the county legislature, consisting of the late Woody Klose, Kristen Jemiolo, and Marcus Molinaro (the current county executive), explored the issue and reaffirmed the right of college students to vote where they live and study, a right already upheld by the Supreme Court in 1979.
The committee recommended that the County Board of Elections “encourage the franchise among students.” After the removal of Republican Election Commissioner William Paroli Sr. on unrelated corruption charges, students were permitted to register to vote. However, in the dozen years since, students have still faced periodic problems, including frivolous challenges at the polls and shifting requirements for providing proof of residence. Bard has consistently advocated for student voting rights and attempted to ensure that students are properly registered. It has also supported litigation to see that student votes are counted.
The committee recommended that the County Board of Elections “encourage the franchise among students.” After the removal of Republican Election Commissioner William Paroli Sr. on unrelated corruption charges, students were permitted to register to vote. However, in the dozen years since, students have still faced periodic problems, including frivolous challenges at the polls and shifting requirements for providing proof of residence. Bard has consistently advocated for student voting rights and attempted to ensure that students are properly registered. It has also supported litigation to see that student votes are counted.
Photo by Sonita Alizada ’23
History of the Fight for a Polling Site on Bard’s Campus
Response to Election Commissioner's Defense (September 25, 2020)
Response from Commissioner Haight (September 21, 2020)
Jonathan Becker, Colleges Should Promote and Defend Student Voting (August 12, 2016) (Huffpost)
Jonathan Becker, Director CCE, A Response to Commissioner Haight (June 9, 2016) (Poughkeepsie Journal)
Jonathan Becker, Director CCE, Election Commissioner Haight’s Decision Breeds Cynicism (May 21, 2016) (Poughkeepsie Journal)
Election@Bard Cohead Eva-Marie Quinones ’17 on the Fight for an On-Campus Polling Site (May 13, 2016) (BuzzFeed)
Response from Commissioner Haight (September 21, 2020)
Jonathan Becker, Colleges Should Promote and Defend Student Voting (August 12, 2016) (Huffpost)
Jonathan Becker, Director CCE, A Response to Commissioner Haight (June 9, 2016) (Poughkeepsie Journal)
Jonathan Becker, Director CCE, Election Commissioner Haight’s Decision Breeds Cynicism (May 21, 2016) (Poughkeepsie Journal)
Election@Bard Cohead Eva-Marie Quinones ’17 on the Fight for an On-Campus Polling Site (May 13, 2016) (BuzzFeed)
2012: Class Action Lawsuit, Students vs. Dutchess County BOE
During the 2012 election season, voter registration forms were rejected from Bard, Culinary Institute of America, Marist and Vassar students. With the help of the NYCLU, a class-action lawsuit was filed against the Dutchess County Board of Elections. The affected students successfully challenged a decision by Dutchess County Republican Elections Commissioner Erik Haight to reject their applications because they didn’t list their dormitory name.
- Dutchess college students win voting rights suit with federal court settlement (Kingston Freeman)
- NYCLU Press Release on Bard Students’ Lawsuit against Dutchess County Board (NYCLU ACLU of New York)
- US District Court Complaint
- Settlement between Commissioner Haight and Bard Students
- Video: Students and Faculty Purged from Rolls (Bard Free Press YouTube)
November 3, 2009: Student Intimidation
In 2009, voter intimidation and a poorly written legal decision by Judge Brands in Poughkeepsie led to students being needlessly challenged at the ballot box. Many of those challenged students were required to vote via affidavit ballot, even if living at the exact same address where they were registered. This was an effective tool, as affidavit ballots are frequently disqualified over technicalities during the counting process.
- Bard Students Unhappy with Voting Hassle (Daily Freeman)
- -Watch the video here (BGIA Program)
- Voter Suppression, Dutchess Style (Dutchess Democracy)
- New York Supreme Court Ruling in Favor of Student Petitioners
1999–2000: Students Denied Right to Vote Locally
In 1999, Bard and Vassar students joined together to challenge Republican Election Commissioner William Paroli Sr.’s illegal impediments to student voter registration. In 2000, a bipartisan county legislative committee looked into the matter and concluded unanimously that not only do students have the right to vote locally, but “The Dutchess County Board of Elections should encourage the use of voting franchise among students.” Even so, it took Paroli’s conviction on an unrelated felony to produce change and allow students the right to vote where they live, work and study.
The Fight for a Polling Site on Bard’s Campus
A Timeline of Appeals, Rulings, and Media Coverage