The following is via Newsweek:
A New York County wants to prevent Hasidic voters from casting ballots in an upcoming election because of their religion, a new federal lawsuit charges.
The Sullivan County Board of Elections, which oversees voting in the Village of Bloomingburg, sent notices to 184 of 285 registered voters January 16 stating that it “intended to cancel their voter registration and to deprive them of the right to vote”–and more than 160 of those 184 voters are Hasidim, alleges the lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York. Bloomingburg, a Catskills hamlet with a population of 420, has seen a large influx of Hasidim in recent years.
“All of them had previously registered to vote in Bloomingburg, which is in Sullivan County,” the complaint continues, but the notice demanded those voters give new evidence to prove “why your registration should not be cancelled.”
Plaintiffs in the suit and other Hasidim complied with these demands, the suit says, but the BOE said February 27 it would cancel 156 of the 184 voters’ registrations–without further explanation. “What makes the action even more egregious here is that the Board of Elections has sought to cancel the votes of virtually every Hasidic Jewish resident of Bloomingburg. The Board plainly singled out these voters for challenge based entirely upon their religion,” the lawsuit declares.
The BOE directed requests for comment to the Sullivan County Attorney’s Office, which said it was unable to comment on the suit at this time.
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19 Responses
Change this confusing headline! “New York County” is Manhattan. Instead say “County in New York”
What was the region for cancelling them? A Board of Elections can’t just randomly cancel people’s registration without stating a reason. My guess is a question as to whether it is truely their place of residence, which is fairly easy to resolve.
This is wrong.
But so is the suppression of the right of Americans to vote by oppressive Voter ID laws.
No it’s not charliehall.
Every third world country required I’d in order to be allowed to vote.
The only reason to allow voting based on “trust me, I’m eligible” is to enable fraud
Charliehall, that is ridiculous.
You need photo ID to rent a video at Blockbusters, you need photo ID to prove you’re old enough to buy alcoholic beverages, you even need a photo ID to enter the Department of Justice – which is trying to block voter ID laws – but you can vote just by showing up and saying “Hi, my name is…?”
That makes sense to you?
I guesse by saying this I’m not so anonymous.
Nice picture of me up there. I hope and pray that people will not mistake the corruption of developers with the legal issues at hand. It’s certainly wrong for anyone to be denied the right to vote based on any reason whatsoever but it is also morally questionable to manipulate that legality for personnel profit. And believe me when I say that I am thoroughly convinced that this is what has happened. I would also suggest that the use of Satmar in this instance is entirely inappropriate and needs to be removed. This is not a Satmar community and there were many types of Jews who registered to vote whether it was through enticements of the developer or purely for more altruistic reasons. I am disappointed and disillusioned with the developer as I truly feel that a community of this nature is desperately needed but I fear the chilul Hashem in the way in which it may turn out will cause more damage than is worth.
Please don’t mistake me as I know that the antisemitism displayed in Bloomingburg on the part of residents is at a level that is tremendously frightening, having been yelled and spit at on numerous occasions, so I have no love for the locals. May Hashem help all those involved through this troubled time.
You’d also need a time machine to rent a video at Blockbuster. Or do they still exist? Haven’t seen any of them around in quite a while!
Not ridiculous. Requiring the types of photo ID that some states require means that poor people have to spend valuable money and time to get the needed documentation. Such should be banned as an unconstitutional poll tax, but the Republican-dominated Supreme Court has allowed them.
The Republican leader of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives admitted that the only purpose to voter ID laws was to keep Americans from voting who might vote the way that they do not like. That is exactly the same thing that Sullivan County is trying to do.
Charliehall
The solution to that is to make it cheaper to get photo IDs, not to allow voters to vote without some sort of government documentation that proves who they say they are.
charliehall, so according to your liberal mind, it’s also oppression of the poor that they need to spend “valuable money and time” to get a drivers license. Therefor if you are poor you shouldn’t need a license to drive, we should just trust that you know how.
charliehall and what about my right to vote. If a person votes fraudintly then my vote might be diluted. If the illegal voter votes against my candidate then I am disenfranchised. But you don’t have any pity on me because I can get on a subway train for a nominal fee and go to the DMV and get an id for free.
shimon11210 they got this from Newsweek whose audience it the whole country. You live in NYC it the headline means something else.
American citizens have the constitutional right to vote.
Any limitation (requiring IDs included) is an infringement on our constitutional rights and should be vehemently opposed by all that hold our country’s laws with any regard.
All the examples that commenters here have brought up are not constitutional rights, so the comparison does not hold true.
Bigkhuna – fine the blame is on Newsweek. But regardless, you don’t get a pass for sloppy publishing just because some or many of your readers don’t realize your mistake.
goofus: American citizens have the constitutional right to bear arms, per the Supreme Court and the Bill of Rights. Per your argument, obviously you believe any requirement gun holder’s be licensed is a gross violation of American’s Constitutional rights, as much as requiring voter’s to have ID.
shimon11210: Newsweeks’ linguistic use in creating the headline is correct. Both meanings are valid.
charlie I am coming to your house and claiming I am a bailiff and going to clean it out with no ID. trust me, can’t afford the time to get an id. If you are worry about cost; make it free but necessary. There are to many dead people voting and collecting social security at 112 years old.I six of them in my neighborhood who are 112 years old
Most Jews in Sullivan County are there primarily for the summer. If that is not their principle place of residence and they are registered to vote elsewhere, then Sullivan County can’t be blamed.
Did they actually cancel voter registration, or did they ask for proof of residency first? Also, what is their address with the IRS?
It’s not fair to just say anti-semitism, like using the race card if there is a valid reason for the request.
As to voter registration, anyone can get a free picture ID. If the poor are on any government program, they had to have proven their ID (you’d think?)
There is so much voter fraud around the country, including the registering of illegals by MVA’s, so they can vote that some basic precautions are warranted. Proving who you are is as basic as you can get.