Elmont NY – A large group of concerned citizens gathered on Dutch Broadway in Elmont yesterday to speak out against voter intimidation and voter suppression in the 3rd LD. This issue resurfaced this year when a campaign worker for incumbent Republican Legislator John Ciotti hurled racist and sexist insults at random Elmont residents and in particular at a campaign worker for the Solages’ campaign.
The incident was made controversial when Ciotti supporters attempted to shrug it off as inconsequential, some inferring that the Solages’ campaign worker provoked the incident and that the act was being used to amass votes.
However, the clearly racist and sexist incident has developed a life of its own (see unscientific poll). Elmont residents continue to be intimidated as Republican operatives spin the incident as insignificant; they shift blame to the victims and otherwise dodge the issue.
The press conference brought together victims of recent intimidation; civic and church leaders, community activists, candidates for the county seats, candidates for the town seats and state representatives. All joined in denouncing intimidation in all of it forms – from the easily identified threats of physical harm to the less obvious but more harmful economic voter intimidation.
A newly formed grassroots committee announced that they are tasked to help “prevent voter intimidation at the polls on November 8 and to document ongoing efforts by the Nassau County Republican Party to intimidate and suppress votes in the 3rd LD.”
“It is easy to see goon-like tactics but the most devastating type of voter intimidation is economic voter intimidation” said Patrick Nicolosi a member of the grassroots committee, President of the East End Civic Association and Co-chair with Sandra Smith of the Elmont Coalition for Sustainable Development. “Sanitation District 6 is a prime example of economic voter intimidation” said Nicolosi, “the employees live in fear of losing their jobs if they don’t vote Republican, period.”
What is economic voter intimidation? According to projectvote.org, economic voter intimidation is “where an employer or supervisor threatens a person’s job if he votes for a particular candidate or party against the wishes of the company”.
In October 2010, The Huffington post reported that an Ohio franchise owner of a McDonald's sent his employees a letter with their paycheck stating that, "if the right people are elected we will be able to continue with raises and benefits at or above our present levels. If others are elected, we will not." The letter goes on to name three (3) Republican candidates the owner endorses.”
Sources indicate that Sanitation District 6 is no different. Sanitation District 6 and the McDonalds employees received the same message – your livelihood is on the line if you vote against management’s wishes. Unlike the franchise owner of McDonalds however, Sanitation District 6 employees are required by the Nassau Republican Party to be poll watchers, lawn sign bandits, roughnecks even enforcers against local businesses, community residents, voters and opposing candidates. In short “Sanitation District 6 employees are battering rams after “the insincere political smiles and handshakes” in Elmont, said a well respected community leader.
Economic voter intimidation appears to go even deeper at Sanitation District 6. Elmont Online is investigating communications from some District 6 and Parks Department employees who claim “I was told to bring back a cell phone image of my marked ballot to show how I voted.”
If employees are being told to take cell phone images of their "secret" ballots then these behaviors by both Sanitation District 6 and the Nassau Republican Party are clearly meant to intimidate workers into voting a certain way, and is unacceptable. It violates Federal and State election laws.
Next Installment – The Story of Intimidation of a local business.
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