How LaStar Gorton Followed The Process And Was Still Denied The Ballot For Ward 1 In 2023

When The Write-In Candidate happened for Beacon's 2023 Mayoral race, it exposed the question of why it can be so hard for some people to get onto the ballot. LaStar Gorton is one such Beaconite who was denied getting onto the ballot by Dutchess County Board of Elections, despite getting all of her homework in on time to run as an Independent. She was also questioned in an uncomfortable way, she says, by the Beacon Democrats Chair, Lisa Jessop, an hour after she submitted her paperwork to the Dutchess County Board of Elections.

LaStar was born and raised in Beacon, and currently lives in Tompkins Terrace with her children. Very important to her is being able to stay in Beacon to raise her children in Beacon. While her income is not nothing, it qualifies her to live in Tompkins Terrace, but makes it difficult to buy a home that fits her family. As Beacon considers the size of new apartments, single and double apartment units, and property in general, it clear in their planning of as many small units as possible it is not thinking of families who are growing out of their tiny apartments.

When Tompkins Terrace was going through the "temporary" re-housing of residents to renovate most of the apartments after the City of Beacon granted it a 40 year tax break to the luxury community managers of the low-income community in Beacon, LaStar joined residents there in being vocal at community meetings about the re-housing, to ensure that residents could return without qualification challenges by Tompkins Terrace management.

When another shooting happened at Tompkins Terrace in May of 2023, LaStar decided to turn it up a notch and run for City Council for Ward 1 as an Independent. She said that she missed the deadline to run as a Democrat, but could run as an Independent. After doing all of her work and hitting all of her deadlines, LaStar was denied by the Dutchess County Board of Elections. She was also questioned in what she felt was an uncomfortable approach by the Chair of the Beacon Democrats, Lisa Jessop, as to why she didn't come to the Beacon Democrats first to ask to be considered by them.

This situation is not the first that A Little Beacon Blog has heard of this happening. The details in this particular situation are the most simple to relay, however. ALBB tried reporting last election on when former Beacon City Councilmember Ali T. Muhammed, a Muslim Black man, was trying to run for Mayor in Newburgh against Torrence Harvey, a Black man. Ali acquired the signatures he needed, but was challenged.

Ali told ALBB: "Someone has to challenge your petitions, then Board of Elections rules on the signatures...This is a tactic to keep candidates off the ballot. If not voter suppression, it's lack of democracy. My signatures were challenged from the Democrat line. They started weaponizing that tactic/tool against me since 2016. I’ve won a couple court cases to reverse the ruling. I’ve been disqualified in a couple races because of the rulings, with no resources to fix."

LaStar's story is part of why Reuben Simmons threw his hat into the ring for Mayor in the final hours before election day. Before ALBB’s interview with LaStar, Reuben shared his light-bulb moment of when he started questioning the process of getting onto the ballot. Reuben’s reaction happened after Coucilperson Justice McCray proposed increasing the small salary the councilmembers currently get, in the name of increasing accessibility to people who want to serve, but may need more money. This is not a new proposal. Paying Beacon City Councilmembers is suggested every now and then within different administrations.

Said Reuben to ALBB: “When you want to serve, public service, it is a service, not to supplement your income, when you have workers who can't afford to live here...Maybe this increase in Council dollars will entice people to run. It just made me think, LaStar wanted to run for her ward. She seeked out the signatures and she went through the process. I witnessed her party actively work against her and become a barrier. So it made me question the hypocrisy of 'what is the raises really for?' Star is here and she can share the process she went through. When she initially was running...we share similar support groups so to speak. I was aware and kept my ear in to what was going on; just given my little education on it. If people who want to run can't even get on because a certain party has us in handcuffs so to speak, and has a lock on the election process, I'm not exactly sure the contradiction of these stories.”

As for the Republican party in Beacon, and why there were no contenders in Beacon, ALBB cannot speak to why there were no candidates put forward. The Republican party in Beacon was quite stained after Trump, making wins for Democrats easier. If a member of the Republican party wants to speak to ALBB about their issues, they can do so.

ALBB asked LaStar to tell us the entire process for her to do try to get onto the ballot. This is what she said, which you can also here in this interview, and has been transcribed in full below:

"I originally did not know what the entire process was. I live down in Tompkins Terrace, and a shooting had happened [in May 2023]. I went to our rehab meeting because they are about to redo the entire complex. I went to speak on it. Our Councilwoman Molly [Rhodes] was sitting in the back not really saying anything. All of my friends were like 'Instead of you just going to a City Council meeting and voicing your opinion, why don't you go run for this election.' I'm like 'Ok, cool!' I went onto the Board of Elections website, and found out I was too late to run as a Democrat, but I was still in time to run for the Independent. So I came up with a whole party name for myself; I wrote up my ballots; I sent them to the County as well as our city Board of Elections to ensure that my ballots were correct before I got them signed. My petitions: I got the signatures that I needed. I handed them in on the last day, the 30th of May. I went there, and I handed them in.

"About an hour after I handed in my petitions, I got a text or email from Lisa Jessup, the head of our Beacon Democrats here, saying that she would like to speak to me. We had a very long phone call. She asked me why I didn't run as a Democrat. I said at the time I did not know, and this issue just came up, and I was passionate about trying to save my part of the city, and make it batter for the people that live there.

"There were a couple of odd things said, like 'We could back you off the ballot if we wanted to...I'm not sure your petitions are all correct.' I said I know that every signature is not correct, but I have more than enough to be put on the ballot. But none the lease, in order to accept it, I received a letter in the mail on June 3, that said I needed to accept the position by June 2. But the letter was not mailed until June 1 [letter was postmarked June 1].

"But Lisa received this phone call on May 30 when my ballots were handed in stating that I handed in my ballots. I did call the County Board of Education and went there myself personally and spoke with the Dutchess County head there, and she told me that Lisa had FOILed for my petitions in order to see them.

"I said 'well how did she know to FOIL for them if I just handed them in? Who informed her that I handed in my petitions on the very last day at 12pm in the afternoon? Someone had to let her know that they were there in order to FOIL them. For her to get them so quickly, and be able to call me so quickly within the hour and to ask for a phone conversation. But you mail me out my letter on June 1 so that I don't received it until June 3, and I had to accept it by June 2.'

"I went there [to the Board of Elections] in person on June 5 to ask if there was any way I could accept it. She said 'well hold on, let me ask the Republican side. We have to be in agreeance in order for you to be able to accept.' She went away for 2 seconds, came back and said that they said no. So that was it.

"I did email the Enforcement Agency in Albany but I have not received an email back regarding it because I believe it was done on purpose and maliciously [it is November 5th as of this interview, and LaStar emailed the Enforcement Agency in May].

"Lisa and Molly both still reach out to me wanting to talk. They had a very long conversation asking me my ideas. Afterwards, I was like 'Oh, you dummy, you just gave them all of your ideas that they probably didn't know of the issues actually going on in Ward 1.'

"Molly actually knocked on my door Friday. Saying 'I just want to make sure you knew we are voting, since this is closed down. I still want to meet up with you and talk to discuss this whole Council process.'

LaStar's response: "I'll see you in 2 years. And I'll be starting from the top."

ALBB emailed Lisa Jessop on November 9th for comment on these events, and did not receive a response. On that same day, ALBB shared an election results article, “Beacon Election Results: The Significance Of The Unopposed Party, And A Few Other Races,” which pointed out that the Write-In Candidate for Mayor won 16% of the vote, when other Write-In results for other seats were 1%. A representative from the Beacon Democrats’ Instagram commented in that thread: “This post is misleading. Anyone can run for office, but NY state and Dutchess County have filing requirements. If you go to elections.dutchessny.gov, you’ll find all the requirements spelled out in great detail—gathering of signatures (which are sometimes challenged), financial statements, etc. It’s not like someone wakes up on Nov 6 and says, ‘I think I’ll tun for City Council, vote for me tomorrow’. Is it a perfect system? No. Could it be better? Yes. Anyone who wants to get involved with how elections are tun should contact the Board of Elections—they’re slways looking gor more help.”

The Beacon Democrats IG representative than posted a correction Comment: “Apologies for misspelled words in last paragraph—it posted before final edits. It should say: Anyone who wants to get involved with how elections are run should contact the board of elections – they’re always looking for more help.”

The Write-In Candidate: Beacon's Mayoral Race Now Has A Choice: Reuben Simmons Enters As Candidate

It was a drowsy hyper-local election season in Beacon this year, with the usual Democratic candidates running or not running unopposed for City Council and the Mayor position. All City Council positions are running unopposed in the Democratic line, with Paloma Wake and Dan Aymar-Blair also claiming the Working Families line. Mayor Lee Kyriacou, who unseated two-term Mayor Randy Casale last round, was running unopposed - until last Friday when lifelong resident Reuben Simmons decided to run at the request of those around him, he told ALBB last evening.

Before Reuben entered the race, the Beacon Free Press interviewed Mayor Kyriacou for last Wednesday’s print edition. The newspaper asked him: “What do you think it says that no one is running against you?” Mayor Kyriacou answered: “Well, I certainly can’t speak for those who might have thought about running. What I hope being unopposed says, is that Beacon residents think the city is in good steady hands, that I truly listen to and try to represent everyone in our community, and that I’ve provided strong but inclusive leadership. I guess my track record in Beacon elections - 11 races, 11 wins - may also have been a little daunting; I have knocked on every single door in our city multiple times. I would of course welcome competition - that’s democracy - which makes us stronger and more inclusive.”

A week before that print edition came out, friends of Reuben Simmons began texting friends that Reuben had entered the race as a Mayoral candidate as a write-in candidate. Reuben was born and raised in Beacon, is a 20-year employee of Beacon’s Highway Department; is a co-founder of the volunteer group I Am Beacon which is quietly or loudly behind many signature efforts in Beacon like Turkey On Every Table; at one point production of the the City’s fireworks for the centennial celebration, the This Is Beacon podcast; and other initiatives.

Who Is Reuben Simmons?

Longtime locals to Beacon know Reuben very well. Some know him as Coach Yogi, from when he coached Beacon Bears youth football, and via coaching and leadership of Beacon Hoops, which is youth basketball. Newcomers to Beacon may not know him yet. Readers can listen to this interview with him recorded on Sunday evening at his rally gathering at Max’s on Main.

Picture of the sample ballot. The write-in box is at the bottom. Print clearly and slowly. DO not write a signature. Just write the words in print.

Reuben says his recent decision to run in addition to Mayor Lee Kyriacou, is to give people a choice, he told ALBB at the rally held for him by Richie Kaplan, owner of Max’s on Main. At this stage, Reuben has not performed the traditional campaign things, like raising money, printing and distributing yard signs, going door to door, mailing postcards, etc. It’s just him and his support network of friends and family. With one day away from the election, he is relying on word of mouth in the community to get the word out that he is running.

That, and that people will need to spell his name correctly on the ballot: Reuben Simmons. (HINT: the “e” goes before the “u”).

Reuben maintained that people wanted a choice in how they were voting. He told ALBB: “People said that they want an option. How I feel about politics, I'm not really involved in the political side, I just feel people should have a choice.”

In ALBB’s interview, Reuben describes how, when he was Highway Superintendent, he put together the budget for the Highway Department, which consists of other departments under the umbrella of the Highway Department including City Mechanics Garage, Parks Department, and Transfer Station. Beacon Parks and Recreation Department Director Mark Price crafts and delivers his budget each year.

Regarding Reuben’s Experience Working Hands-On With City Government

ALBB asked Reuben about his 20 year experience working with the City of Beacon, and how that translates to a Mayoral position: “Through just what I do throughout the city through my volunteering, working and meeting and talking with people throughout the city, there was a lot of frustration that people felt like they were handcuffed to an election. They felt like there was a certain party that just has a hold on the election process and doesn't allow other people to run.”

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Over the years, the Democrats have represented in City Council. The Republican and Independent efforts have been almost non-existent.

For example, this year, there was a new attempt to run for City Council Ward 1 by LaStar Gorton, but she seemed to have been shut out, she told ALBB. LaStar attended Reuben’s rally, and spoke to ALBB about her experience trying to get onto the ballot as an Independent. She says she was questioned by Democrat Lisa Jessup about the ballot one hour after she filed. LaStar says that she was questioned regarding her signatures. LaStar was sent an acceptance letter after she filed, but the letter was postmarked one day before she needed to submit her acceptance. She received the mail after the deadline, and was not granted an extension for the unworkable postmark by the Dutchess County Board Of Elections.

ALBB has seen signature blocking before, the last instance being when former Beacon City Councilman Ali T. Muhammad was running for Mayor of Newburgh on the Democratic line. Many of his signatures were rejected by the Board of Elections. Ali explained to ALBB: “They started weaponizing that tactic tool against me since 2016. I’ve won a couple court cases to reverse the ruling. I’ve been disqualified in a couple races because of the rulings and no resources to fix.”

Listen to LaStar’s experience in the interview below, and read about what prompted her to want to run in the first place. Should you want to write her in for Ward 1, there would be nothing stopping you. Ward 1’s current Councilmember, Molly Rhodes, is running unopposed in the Democratic line.

What Qualifies Reuben Simmons?

When ALBB asked what qualifies Reuben, he answered: “I do think I'm a candidate to consider - given my two decades of working and volunteering within the community - the connections I've made through residents, business owners, civic groups, church groups alike. The people asked me. The more and more that people asked me, I looked into it, I do have a good knowledge of how the City operates. I have been working for the Highway Department for 20 years now, straight out of high school. I started as summer intern and worked my way up to Superintendent.”

In terms of crafting budgets, Reuben has the experience: “I had to put together one of the biggest budgets in the City of Beacon that has multiple departments. By running, I'll be learning and working with great people that work with the City, I'll be able to learn and understand how budgets operate, and how the City operates as a whole.”

Before he was Highway Superintendent, Reuben served as the Union President. He served for 7 years, winning 2 terms, and negotiated 2 contracts with the City of Beacon. His second contract was voted by 100% approval rating by all the workers represented by the union the Public Works division. "I take that with pride. I listened to what the workers want. That's the same type of leadership I would bring in to local government. That's the same type of leadership I would bring in to any avenue I have. Listening to the people. This situation I'm in right now, this write-in opportunity, is by response of listening to the people.”

Reuben’s Approach To Zoning and Development In Beacon

ALBB asked Reuben how he would approach zoning in Beacon. Especially now as Rte. 52 is in the spotlight with the Healey car dealership selling their property along that strip. Reuben stated: “I would listen to the residents that live in that area, and how that is going to effect residents as a whole. I have learned a lot about development in this city and the history of it. I think to move forward, we have to understand our history. Right now, I am working with the Beacon Historical Society, The Highlands Current and the Howland Public Library, where I'm learning a lot on what happened during Urban Renewal. A lot of things that we are hearing and learning throughout that, I'm seeing a lot replicated today. I'm willing to bring that aspect of what I'm learning there, and what we can do to move forward for the rezoning on Rte. 52.”

Would Reuben Have Priorities As Mayor In Beacon?

ALBB asked if Reuben would come in with a set of priorities. He answered: “I can't speak to the priorities. This was a last minute move in response to people asking for this. This was not something I was planning. It's not something I was marketing myself for. My experience of working within the City and still being out here volunteering and working, I am confident that I'll be caught up to speed in a good amount of time.”

Overall, Reuben reflected: “It's a collective effort. I'm community-first, community-minded. When it comes to a priority list, or how I make decisions, I make decision not based on what is best for me. I base it off of what I hear in the community. A lot of that is going to be a lot of meetings, and understanding, and talking and round-table discussions. I've seen it operate that way in the past, and I think that's the best way to move forward.”

Where To Vote: Polling Stations For Beacon

The Dutchess County Board of Elections has the locations for Beacon. To find Beacon, look scroll the list for C/Beacon (aka City of Beacon), which is really confusing, as it is not in any kind of alphabetical order.

The Beacon Democrats website makes it more clear, and presents other voting issues to consider on the ballot:

• Ward 1, ED 1 & Ward 2, ED 1 & 2: South Ave. Elementary School, 60 South Ave.

• Ward 1, ED 2 & Ward 4, ED 1 & 2: Beacon Memorial Building, 413 Main St.

• Ward 3, ED 1 & 2: Forrestal Elementary School, 125 Liberty St.

Early Voting Shocks Fishkill Town Hall; Police Say "No Advance Knowledge Of The Fishkill Town Hall Being Assigned As A Polling Location"

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The day was Saturday, October 24, 2020. The first day of Early Voting. For those who like to attend opening nights of a movie premier (back when movie premiers happened in person in a movie theater), people woke up early, put on their Early Voting Outfits, and headed to the polls. For Beaconites, the closest early voting location is the Fishkill Town Hall, which has been an early voting location in the past, and usually involves no line at all. It is listed on the Dutchess County Board of Elections website as one of 5 Super Sites.

For the election of the President of the United States and several other elected positions, during a time with voter confusion has ruled the news, with doubts of the United States Postal Service, absentee ballots, debates of extending mail deadlines, people across the nation turned out in droves. As of November 1, 2020, the Highlands Current reported that 9,379 votes had been cast in person at the Fishkill Town Hall.

Families like ours driving up to the Fishkill Town Hall for a family-style vote quickly and decisively turned around, seeing what seemed like a mile of a line if it was unwound from the snaking formation it did around the Police Station, Fishkill Recreation Center, and double-wrap around the Town Hall.

A man who seemed to work in a business across the street was waving cars away from from turning into their parking lot, as they are a place of business and not free parking. Early voters paced the lawn on the Town Hall on their phones, communicating back to partners or friends who were headed down. Others drove by at 9:30am, saw the line (polls opened at 12pm), and turned around to return at 1:30pm, thinking the line would subside. But the line remained the same all day, into Sunday and even the rainy Monday. A police officer directing traffic turning into the main Town Hall driveway with the loop said that no one called the police in advance to set up traffic detail.

The new Fishkill Chief of Police Keith Dworkin (their previous Chief James Schepperly resigned in February 2020 amid a lawsuit accusing him of alleged retaliation against an officer), confirmed with A Little Beacon Blog via email that there was no police preparation for the big day, stating: “The Police Department was not contacted to prepare for the volume of voter turnout expected. We were able to call in officers to address the needs of the public and make the necessary modifications to vehicle and pedestrian traffic to improve safety.”

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One of several vehicles in a Trump caravan. Fishkill Police said they had advance knowledge of the car lineup, that slowed down to drive past the early voting location of Fishkill Town Hall, but no advance knowledge of Town Hall being used as a polling location.
Photo Credit: David Ray Martin

A Trump caravan of many cars and large trucks targeted the Fishkill early voting location on Sunday after passing through Beacon’s Main Street, and Chief Dworkin further stated to A Little Beacon Blog that the Fishkill Police were unaware of the Town Hall being used as an early voting location at all, stating via email on 10/28/2020: “We were aware of the caravan and responded to assist with traffic control as requested. As I stated earlier, the Police Department had no advance knowledge of the Fishkill Town Hall assigned as a polling location.”

Voter Volunteers Hustle To Help; Voters Cheer Fellow Citizens After Emerging From Voting Booths

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The absentee ballot box inside of the Fishkill Town Hall early voting location.
Photo Credit: Alana Reynolds

Despite who one was voting for, there was comradery in the line. No signs were in the lawn, nor buttons on people’s jackets. Voters included the elderly who arrived to submit an absentee ballot into a box, or to wait in line. A mother nursing a newborn left the line to breastfeed her baby while people in line held her spot. Election volunteers came out periodically to walk the line, checking on the vulnerable population, and invited the nursing mother to come ahead. They also looked for those holding absentee ballots to let them know they could skip this longest line in order to place their ballot in a box inside of the polling location.

Said one reader, @iamdinoalexander of the first day: “Took us about 5 hours. Got there at 3 and done by 8pm. There we’re about 100 people still behind us. The check in and voting was so well organized and moved very quickly. It took about a minute to check in, mark and cast your ballot. If you are in a group of at least 2 you can take turns waiting and hold your spot. And the best thing was that everyone was wearing marks, we know what that means

Length Of The Line, Which Was Positioned Along Side The Road’s Edge

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Saturday, Day 1 of early voting at Fishkill Town Hall saw a line wrapping along Rte. 52, and up to the Fishkill Recreation Center.
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

Overall, the line of the first early voting day ranged 5-7 hours. During the first day, the line inched along, and then stopped a few times. Election volunteers came out to walk the line to let them know that 1 of the 2 ballot printers had broken, and that someone was on the way to fix it. Which did happen! And the line began to clip along again. The back of the line was behind the Fishkill Recreation building, then snaked around the parking loop, curving around again to Route 52, where people stood along the road.

While the big caravan of trucks people have been talking about happened on Sunday, a reader wrote in to say they saw the day before as well, on Saturday. Said @mrcondon135: “Was on Rt9 headed to Starbucks for my usual coffee and what I saw was something I’ve never seen in my whole life! Literally about 100 cars, truck and dump trucks all with Trump 2020 flags and people screaming for Trump!”

People stood along the road again on Sunday as cars whizzed by, including the Trump caravan, which was loud with motors and shouting motorists, some voters standing along the road felt intimidated. Said one gentleman who has been looking to buy a pickup truck: “This makes me not want to buy a big truck.”

The line for Sunday, Day 2 of early voting was just as long, but the line varied at 5 hours. Monday was no different, even though people predicted a quiet work-week, and even though it rained. Come Tuesday, the line remained stubbornly long, as people continued to show up. Said @waiavda: “Tuesday 2pm and lines is as long as Saturday! We need extended hours!”

According to the Highlands Current: “State law requires counties to have one early voting site for every segment of 50,000 voters, although election commissioners can choose to have more...The Dutchess commissioners, who needed at least 3, set up 5, including one at Fishkill Town Hall on Route 52 near Beacon.”

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Sunday, Day 2 of early voting saw a large caravan of cars and trucks, which targeted the Fishkill Town Hall polling site and drove past voters who were told to stand along the road’s edge of Rte. 52. Voters are pictured here waiting in line as 20 minutes of Trump trucks drove by.
Photo Credit: David Ray Martin

The strategy of the arrangement of the line did change day to day. By Day 3, the line position had shifted from along the road’s edge to directly in front of the Police Department. Said Chief Dworkin when ALBB asked about the strategy of the positioning along the side of the road: “We continue to modify conditions and make early voting safe and convenient keeping in mind that we don’t want to discourage anyone from being able to access their polling location.”

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By Friday, Day 5 of early voting at the Fishkill Town Hall, parking for votors had been dedicated along Rte. 52. On Days 1 and 2, people were standing there instead, waiting to vote.
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

Did other polling locations in Dutchess County have similarly long lines? Said @hvny_mrkt: “Millbrook, Rhinebeck and POK all similarly long/worth-it-lines.” By Friday, the day of the first snow in Beacon, the line was 1 hour long, and had dedicated parking along Rte. 52, instead of voters standing waiting.

How Early Voting Works

Line Cut Off Time:
Whatever the end of day polling time is, if you are in the line at that time, then you are good to stay. A volunteer will come stand in the back of the line when the end of day comes to tell people that they can no longer vote that day.

Absentee Ballet Box Drop Off:
You can skip the line where your ballot gets fed into the machine before your eyes, and drop your ballot off in a box inside of the polling location. Those who are paranoid about watching their ballot cast right then will prefer the first option, and won’t mind the line. Said @foxfirefall: “I dropped off my ballot today (Monday) and it took no time! I held it in my hand so people in line could clearly see it as I walked past, and a poll volunteer saw me and kindly ushered me inside and made sure I got an ‘I Voted’ sticker!”

Parking: Parking is available at the Town Hall, the FIshkill Recreation Center, and along Rte. 52. Turning left out of the Town Hall at the second entrance may be difficult, as there is no light, and traffic coming from Beacon tends to drive around a car who is either letting someone pull out or is turning left into the Town Hall. You

Governor Cuomo recommends people no longer mail in their absentee ballot. In his Friday night email, he said: “If you have an absentee ballot and you haven't cast it yet, don't mail it—instead drop it off in person. You can drop off absentee ballots at any polling place (there are expedited, dedicated lines for doing so) or at your local Board of Elections office. New Yorkers can also, of course, vote in-person on Election Day on Tuesday, November 3rd. Find your local polling place here.

Future Early Voting Changes

After reading this article, readers questioned the Board of Elections (BOE) and County Executive Marcus Molinaro, on procedures. A Little Beacon Blog reached to both today, and is awaiting response from the Board of Elections.

County Executive Molinaro was able to respond, and answered this to our questions about how he thought early voting went overall, if Beacon’s walkable city needed its own early voting location, and if Dutchess County encourages the truck caravans:

“I have long been a strong proponent for early voting – I lobbied for early voting approval from the state, as well as for the funding to support it.

“2020 marks just the second year of the early voting option in New York State; and this year, there is the combined factors of the COVID-19 pandemic and very high voter interest in the presidential race. The COVID-19 pandemic has created challenges with the need for greater spacing and cleaning protocols after every voter. Combined with high voter enthusiasm, wait times for early voting have been longer than hoped for.

“The Board of Elections, which is an independent body, has worked diligently to ensure health and safety at every site. It has been very heartening to see voter enthusiasm and most voters have commented that while the lines are longer than they might like, they have been met with pleasant fellow voters and BOE staff. We are grateful to voters for their patience and their commitment to exercising their right to vote.

“There is always room for improvement and I am confident the Board of Elections will be reviewing the early voting process to see where changes can be made to continue to improve the process going forward and we hope New York State will provide funding to provide broader accessibility.”

Editor’s Note: A Little Beacon Blog did reach out to Fishkill’s Town Supervisor Ozzy Albra through the Town’s website, where a link called EMAIL is listed. This link goes to a form submission page. A Little Beacon Blog submitted questions via the form. ALBB did not get a response from Supervisor Albra, but Police Chief Dworkin did email a response a day or two later.

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School Budget And Library Vote Extended 6/16 - But Aquiring A Ballot Is Not - Last Day Tuesday 6/9 - Beacon Experienced Ballot Production Delay

According to Beacon’s Superintendent Matthew Landauhl, Governor Cuomo issued a press release on June 7th, saying he was extending the school budget vote until Tuesday, June 16 at 5pm, which means ballots by mail will be accepted until June 16. Ballot drop boxes are still allowed until Tuesday, June 9 at 5pm.

There was a vendor-based delay in Beacon, where the company that provides the ballots experienced a shortage in supplies. Many Beaconites got their ballots on Friday in the mail, but several did not.

The person to contact about a missing ballot is the board clerk Kelly Pologe at pologe.k@beaconk12.org. Tuesday June 9th is the last day to get a ballot.

Beacon's School and Library Absentee Ballots Arrive Friday - Ballot Collection Box Locations - Tuesday Deadline

The Vote By Mail initiative for Beacon’s 2020-2021 School Budget has arrived today in the mail. Beacon’s Superintendent, Dr. Matthew Landahl emailed district parents and posted to the district website that ballots should be arriving in the mail this (Friday) afternoon. Details about a delay the district was experiencing in getting the ballots out to the public is described below the schedule published here.

Read the Beacon City School District’s Budget Presentation here. Quick Links to the budget are on the district’s website.

You are encouraged to drop your ballot off in a Ballot Drop Box. The schedule is below.

All ballots must be received by mail or dropbox by 5:00pm Tuesday, June 9th.

Ballot Drop Box Locations and Hours

Friday, June 5
Beacon High School 11-5
Glenham Elementary 11-5
District Administration Building 11-5

Saturday, June 6
District Administration Building 12-4

Sunday, June 7
District Administration Building 12-4

Monday, June 8
Beacon High School 8-5
Glenham Elementary 8-5
District Administration Building 8-5

Tuesday, June 9
Beacon High School 6am-5
Glenham Elementary 6am-5
District Administration Building 6am-5

Ballots are due Tuesday, June 9 by 5:00pm.

The Delay In Absentee Ballots

On May 31, 2020, Dr. Landahl emailed the district about an expected delay in the ballots. The Howland Public Library also emailed their subscribe list with the news. Dr. Landahl explained:

“We contracted with a company named NTS Data to print and mail our absentee ballots to all of our registered voters. NTS Data is a company we have worked with on our elections for several years and many districts in New York State and the area have as well.

”On Friday, May 29, 2020, NTS Data informed us that they were having trouble with our ballot mailing due to an envelope shortage and supply chain issue. This is an issue that about 50 districts in New York are also having with NTS Data.”

This (Friday) morning, Dr. Landahl emailed again to let the public know that we should be receiving a ballot by this afternoon. For this writer, the ballots came. For some of our readers, they are reporting that they have not received it yet, but did receive the promotional postcard about voting. Keep looking in your junk mail. And cross your fingers.

Early Voting Starts Saturday, October 26 - And Includes Weekends - And Halloween!

The most surprising change to the election process this year takes effect this Saturday, October 26: early voting for New Yorkers. That’s right - the heavily anticipated Tuesday, November 5, Election Day just got a little lighter as New York passed a law letting registered voters cast their ballot early. Starting this year, registered New York voters have nine additional days - including two weekends - to cast their ballots.

Voters can still vote by absentee ballot or at their regular polling place (find those here) on Election Day, Tuesday, November 5, but can now also vote instead at one of their home county’s designated early voting sites from Saturday, October 26 to Sunday, November 3.

Assemblymember Jonathan Jacobson (D-Newburgh) co-sponsored the bill implementing early voting in New York State, and is a member of the Assembly’s Election Law Committee and Chair of the Sub-Committee on Election Day Operations. “Voting should be simple and easy,” Jacobson said in a press release. “Early voting will increase turnout and allow more voters to participate in our democratic process.”

How Does Voting Early Work?

Special locations are assigned for each county. Early voting locations vary by county, and you must cast your vote in the county where you live. You must be a registered voter, but you don’t need to sign up for anything special to be able to vote early. Anyone can do it. You just walk up to the designated area and vote.

We asked Julie Shiroishi, chief of staff for Assemblymember Jacobson, to provide a few more “how-to” details of this new voting process: “You just show up at any early voting site in Dutchess and they'll look up your name in an electronic poll book. These are new and will allow the poll worker to print on-demand a ballot (also new) for your specific election district. At the end of every day, the info will be uploaded to the County Board of Elections so voters can't vote more than once.”

So on Tuesday, November 5, you could just sit back and enjoy the day… Saturdays and Sundays are even included in the early voting schedule. And even Halloween! What does it mean for employers who give their employees paid leave to vote on Tuesday? According to Julie: “Employees can take three hours off to vote on Election Day only - not Early Voting days. Technically, employees are supposed to give their employers two days notice prior to Election Day that they are going to vote, and employers are supposed to post the policy notifying them of their right to vote on Election Day 10 days before Election Day.”

Early Voting Locations For Dutchess County

Residents of the City of Beacon can vote at any of Dutchess County’s five early polling sites:

• Fishkill Town Hall, 807 Route 52, Fishkill

• Dutchess County Board of Elections, 47 Cannon St., Poughkeepsie

• Rhinebeck Town Hall, 80 East Market St., Rhinebeck

• Millbrook Fire House, 20 Front St., Millbrook

• Unionvale Town Hall, 249 Duncan Road, Lagrangeville

If you have kids and plan on bringing them to vote, you could check out the Fishkill Rec Center’s activity schedule to drop in for an activity session. A Little Beacon Blog does include the Fishkill Recreation Center activities in our Kids Classes Guide.

Voted. How To Vote, And What To Expect While At The Polls

The polls are open from 6 am to 9 pm in Beacon.

If you’re looking for where to vote for your Ward, then you can click here to see the list of locations we compiled, including easy links to maps to see which District within a Ward you reside in. Or even if you don’t know what Ward you are in, you can find out by following those links.

What Is It Like? How Do I Cast My Vote?

To my surprise, my very own husband called to ask me this: “How do I vote? Are there levers?”

Levers? No. Ok, so here’s what it’s like to vote in Beacon:

You walk into your polling precinct, aka “place to vote” as I call it. This is determined by “Ward.” There are four Wards in Beacon. It’s like big borders, and you live within a border of one of them. Within a Ward, there may be a smaller zone called a “District.” You probably never think about these things until Voting Day, but usually that little yellow card that comes in the mail prior to election time tells you. The last time I saw a card was during the primaries this year. You can get a list of polling locations in Beacon here.

Once you get to your voting location, there are several tables set up inside. The tables are divided by District (that border within a Ward) and by name (in alphabetical order). You will find your name at one of them.

You may be asked: “What District are you in?” If you checked the locations list here, you’ll know. “I’m in District 2!” you could say, and volunteers will tell you what table you should go to next. However, if you don’t know what District you are in (like me), there is hopefully a table dedicated to District Discovery at your polling place just for telling you this information. (Insider Tip: Check this first! It will save you from waiting in a line).

Once it’s your turn in line, a volunteer will hand you a large voting card with a privacy sleeve. You’ll walk over to tall table/desks with metal privacy walls around the top of the desk. A pen is provided for you to mark your circle bubbles of your votes. The directions at the top of the voting card will tell you how many people to vote for in each race. Like for governor, you would vote for one person. For judges, you would vote for seven names. Just follow those directions at the top to make sure you’re not over- or under-filling in the circles.

When you’ve completed all of your circles, you walk it over to a scanning machine. Another volunteer will be there to make sure the machine doesn’t break, because you are feeding the machine with your voter card yourself. Once you slide your card into the machine, it tallies it, swallows your card, and tells you what number voter you were.

I was #60!

Thank You To The Volunteers

A HUGE thank you for the volunteers who are running these polls. If when you go to vote, and you wish it were run differently, or had better signs, it’s best not to take your frustration out on the volunteers. They are your friends and neighbors, and may not be as experienced at running an event as you are. Same goes for any event run in Beacon (or anywhere in the world). If you feel passionately about how something is organized, then it’s best you sign up to volunteer, and help make it a better experience for all of us.

Places to Vote in Beacon for Elections (for General and Primary)

EDITORIAL NOTE: This article has been updated to reflect how to vote in the election on November 6, 2018.

Wondering where to go vote this Tuesday, November 6, 2018? Did you toss your yellow card by accident? Below is a list of locations for where to cast your ballot based on where you live and are registered.

Polls for Beacon are open from 6 am to 9 pm, according to the Dutchess County Board of Elections.

There are two sources for this list of locations:

• Dutchess County Board of Elections, website via Kelly Floyd, Senior Election Specialist

• This tool at the New York State Voter Registration page has been the best one to use.

ADDRESSES

Lewis Tompkins Hose Company
Route 9D Entrance, 13 South Ave.
Beacon, NY 12508

Rombout Middle School
84 Matteawan Road
Beacon, NY 12508

James V. Forrestal Elementary School
125 Liberty St.
Beacon, NY 12508

First Presbyterian Church
50 Liberty St.
Beacon, NY 12508

LOCATIONS

Ward 1, District 1: Lewis Tompkins Hose Company
Ward 1, District 2: Rombout Middle School
Ward 2, All Districts: Lewis Tompkins Hose Company
Ward 3, District 1: Rombout Middle School
Ward 3, Districts 2 and 3: James V. Forrestal Elementary
Ward 4, All Districts: First Presbyterian Church

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District - Which District in Which Ward?

Voters can determine what District they’re in either by looking at the yellow voter card that arrived by mail, or by looking at the map on this website:

http://dutchesselections.com/pdf/2014townmaps/CityofBeacon.pdf.

Or, you can find what District you are at this VoterLookUp web page from New York State's Register to Vote page.

The VoterLookUp tool will tell you what District you are in, as well as which Ward, Senate District, County Legislative District, Assembly District, and Congressional District apply to you.

Can I Vote in The Primary Elections?

Two answers to this:

• You’ll need to be registered in Beacon if you’re not already. You only need to do this once for each move. If you got the little yellow card in the mail telling you where to vote, you’re good. Otherwise, look yourself up at this VoterLookUp web page.

• You’ll need to be registered in a party if you want to vote in the primary elections. If you’re registered to vote, but didn’t officially declare a party on your registration, then you can’t vote in the primaries for your party. You also can’t sign name collection forms from politicians looking to get onto the ballot, BTW. You would need to be registered in their party. You will, however, have gotten a little yellow card in the mail, even if you haven’t officially affiliated with a party.

• You do not need to be affiliated or registered with a party (Independent, Republican, Democrat, Green Party, Working Families, etc.) to vote in the General Election. You do need to be registered to vote, however, based on where you live (see above).

Where Can I Register to Vote?

Here’s how to register to vote in Beacon:

You could click here to do it via this website, and please note: You’ll need to snail-mail it in.

Or, you can register to vote with friendly people around town who have set up registration stations. Some that we know of:

• The Howland Public Library

• The Spirit of Beacon Day Parade 2018. Look for a table from “We All Vote”

• The annual Sukkah that happens each fall down at Polhill Park (the park across from Bank Square and Beacon Creamery where the Visitors Center is)

There is a deadline to register to vote - you’ll want to be all buttoned up by Sunday, September 30, if you’re doing it via the folks above. They are physically driving the registration forms to their destination in Poughkeepsie. “We are driving them to Poughkeepsie so we don’t give people stamps.

There are lots of rules about this,” says Ronna Litchtenberg, a volunteer with When We All Vote. Or, people can take the form home and mail it in themselves. “But we’re making it easy on you,” says Kelly Ellenwood, another volunteer. “We’ll hand-deliver it to Poughkeepsie to make sure it gets there.”

But don’t let it slide by again. In a small city town, your vote really does make a difference. "One vote matters, especially in Beacon where elections have been decided on by as few as 10 votes,” says Ronna.