Questions About Voting & Poll Workers

  In my travels today I have witnessed some questionable things that I saw when I went to vote, and reports from other people who I spoke to when they went to vote.

  First as I waited behind a few people at the desk where i vote I noticed that the tags of the three pole workers sitting at the desk had an "R" by the name. I watched as one of these "R"s gave instructions to the three people in front of me and then to me. She said that one does not have to go straight down the line to vote (moving her hand over the first column on the ballot), and reminded all of us that there were other candidates on the ballot. After the other people left and I was given these same instructions, and I said that the poll worker could not say that asking if there was a Democrat at the table. One worker said that she was, but that the tags were screwed up.

  Second at no time were any of us instructed to turn the ballot over to vote on the 6 ballot proposals. It was as if the NYC Board of Elections did not want anybody to know the 6 ballot questions were on the back of the ballot. Upon going to the scanning machine I informed the person by the machine that I wanted to place my ballot in the machine, rather than have the poll workers who seemed to be looking at the finished ballots as they placed the ballot in the scanner.

  Before leaving I had a long talk with the poll coordinator who agreed with me, but did nothing.

  As my day went on I met several other people who told me much of the same story that I had at my poll site. Almost everyone told me that they were not instructed to turn the ballot over for the 6 propositions. 20% said that they also were told not to go straight down the column, while more than half said that it looked like the poll worker was checking their ballot before placing it into the scanning machine.

  Upstate New York will benefit the most if Ballot Proposal #1 is passed, as the Governor and state legislature have already penciled in the revenue the casino gambling will bring in into the upcoming state budget. Is it any wonder that the less New York City votes on Ballot Proposal #1 the better it is for the pro casino people.

  To put it another way.

Strike one was the wording of Ballot Proposal #1.

Strike two was the millions of dollars spent to have voters vote yes on Ballot Proposal #1.

Strike three is the way the NYC Board of Election placed the Ballot Proposals, on the back of the ballot.

It looks like we are out, because those millions spent in advertising can be won back by the casinos in a few short months. Don't believe me - just go to the Aqueduct Racino website to see that ELEVEN BILLION DOLLARS was bet ther in the first year.

Are the Odds Stacked in Favor of Las Vegas Style Casinos in New York State

  In several recent media reports on Election Day voting for the 6 ballot proposals, ballot proposal #1 is to allow the state legislature to authorize up to seven casinos statewide. To help stack the odds in favor of having voters pass this ballot proposal the following words have been added. "The purposes of promoting job growth, increasing aid to schools, and permitting local governments to lower property taxes through revenues generated". Already there are plans for four upstate casinos, deals have been struck with the Native American tribes that run federally approved casinos for no nearby casinos, a deal for no such casino in Manhattan, and a deal with the New York Racing Association to have no new casino near any of the seven NYRA tracks that have Racino's. That could mean that the Bronx most likely could not get a casino since there is a Racino at Yonkers Raceway right over the New York City line. 

   It is reported that 17 million dollars has been spent on lobbying for casinos in New York, with 3 million dollars contributed to state politicians and parties in the last two years alone, and Governor Cuomo receiving almost 250 thousand dollars of the 3 million dollars in contributions. This was made possible in March of 2012 when part of a deal with the legislature removed a prohibition from receiving campaign contributions from gambling interests.

   It is also reported that Governor Cuomo sees the new casinos as the best way to jump start the stagnant upstate economy. by creating new jobs and up to 1 billion dollars in new revenue to pay for proposed tax cuts and aid to education. 

   

  In a recent poll reported to have been done less than half on the people questioned were in favor of adding more casinos, but when the additional language of promoting job growth, more aid to education, and lower taxes was added more than half of the people questioned were in favor of adding more casinos.  

  If you can remember back to when the lottery was introduced revenue was to go to supporting aid to schools. What happen was that as lottery revenues came in state monies were reduced so little if any additional money went to education. Also don't forget the NYC OTB which provided new jobs with other promises of where the revenue would go. What happen was that NYC OTB went bankrupt costing more than it was worth. 

 A pro casino group NY JOBS is also about to mount a multi-million dollar advertising campaign in favor of ballot proposal #1.

 

   "This process appears rigged,” said Blair Horner of the New York Public Interest Research Group. “The best place to influence voters is in the polling place – which is why you can’t do it. Unless the amendment language is ‘gamed.’ ”