UCDW SIGNS ON TO AMICUS BRIEF

DEC 6, 2007 Andi Novick is filing an Amicus Brief in the case of whether or not NYS will be compliant with HAVA (Help America to Vote Act) voting machine federal law. Dem Women have signed on to the breif. GET DETAILS ABOUT THE AMICUS BREIF ON UCDW'S BLOG. Read more about voting machine issues across the country below.

THE PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY ELECTION WILL BE HELD IN NEW YORK STATE ON FEBRUARY 5th, 2008.

If you or someone you know is not currently registered to vote in New York State, the last possible day to register to vote in the February primary election is January 11th. This is both the last date that your ballot application can be postmarked and the last day that you can register in person at the Board of Elections.
For info New York State voter registration, call UC board of elections: 334-5434 or 1-800-FOR-VOTE.

HOSPITAL MERGER IN THE NEWS

Kingston gets plan for abortion clinic
By Paul Kirby, Freeman staff 11/22/2007

Add your comments about the article on UCDW's blog: Dem Women NY
Get more informtion about the merger on UCDW committee news page.

UCDW SUPPORTS ULSTER COUNTY LEGISTURE CHAIR, DAVE DONALDSON

Read the UCDW letter of support

To support Dave - contact or email your legislator(s). See district information here to find your legislators.

VOTING MACHINE ISSUES ACROSS THE COUNTRY

Thanks to Rokki Knee Carr

OHIO - GIVING THE SLIP THE SLIP - More than 20% of touch screen votings in Cuyahoga County were unreadable in the most recent elections. This came to light as officials tried to do a recount of an election in two races, covering only 17 of the county's 1,436 precincts. If this happens in 2008, an Ohio recount could be jeopardized. http://www.cleveland.com/news/

NEW YORK - PAPER, GET YOUR PAPER - Madison County supervisors are taking their own set of actions to comply with HAVA. They have approved a resolution which favors adoption of an Optical Scan/Paper Ballot system. http://www.oneidadispatch.com

ELECTION DAY REGISTRATION
NATIONAL - COULD WE GET EDR NATIONWIDE? - Last week hearings were held on a bill introduced by Representative Keith Ellison (D- Minn) that would require states to allow Election Day Registration for federal elections. Predictably, Democrats on the House administration Subcommittee on Elections supported the measure, while GOPer flacks kept yelling "fraud, fraud, fraud" with no proof that EDR leads to increased election fraud. Even opponents had to agree that EDR improves voter turn out.
http://www.examiner.com

VOTE BY MAIL
MONTANA - THE VOTE IS IN THE MAIL - Election officials in Helena Montana are thrilled with the results of their first mail in balloting. The experiment yeilded the highest voter turnout rate for a city election in three decades. The 61.5% turnout was almost double that of the last off-term election, when the voter rate was only 30.9%. Town officials will be looking at using this method for future municipal elections. http://www.helenair.com

VOTER IDENTIFICATION
NATIONAL/INDIANA - VOTER ID LAWS DO SUPPRESS THE VOTE - The headlines shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who has been following the Voter ID debate, but this week we got quantitative evidence. In a friend of the court brief filed by the Brennan Center and others as part of the Supreme Court's review of the Indiana Voter ID case, there is empirical evidence that the voter ID laws is likely to disproportionately affect African Americans, low income voters, students and senior citizens who are least likely to to have valid voter ID. http://www.brennancenter.org

VOTING MACHINES
COLORADO - OH, WHO NEEDS TO TEST VOTING MACHINES? - Budget issues are causing legislators in Colorado to question whether they need to test and certify voting machines or simply rely on federal certification. The movement to take the Secretary of State out of the process ignores the fact that Colorado's standards exceed those of the federal regulations.

Unfortunately, you can't read this article without signing up and loging in. http://www.gjsentinel.com

CALIFORNIA - WE'LL SEE YOU IN COURT - The City of San Francisco is suing Election Systems and Software for their failures in ES&S' Auto Mark system and failure to notify the California Secretary of State of changes made to the marking devices.
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com

NATIONAL - SEQUOIA SOLD - Voting machine manufacturer Sequoia Voting Systems has been sold to a group of private US investors. This move puts Sequoia under American ownership, which was an issue that had been raised in the last election cycle.
http://www.sequoiavote.com

VOTE COUNTING
NATIONAL - ALL VOTES COUNT, EVEN PROVISIONALS - Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) introduced another piece of voter protection legislation last week. This bill, the Provisional Ballot Fairness in Counting Act of 2007, H. R. 4145, aims to make sure that provisional ballots are counted, and would require ballots cast in a state to be counted in statewide races if the voter is registered anywhere in the state, and ballots cast in the correct Congressional district to be counted if the voter is registered anywhere in the Congressional district, regardless of whether or not the ballots were cast in the correct precinct.
http://www.votetrustusa.org

DEM Women proudly support Jonathan R. Sennett for Ulster County DA and ALL our Democratic candidates

See our 2007 County Candidates Page
List of Democratic Majority Accomplishments

ULSTER DEM LEADERS: BRADLEY CAMPAIGN MATERIAL INACCURATE
Candidate asked to stop using false endorsements press release

ULSTER PUBLISHING ENDORSES JON SENNETT FOR ULSTER DA
Read full endorsement

SENATOR CLINTON ENDORSES SENNETT FOR ULSTER D.A.

NEW PALTZ, N.Y. (October 18, 2007) United States Senator Hillary Clinton has endorsed Democratic and Working Families candidate Jonathan Sennett for Ulster County District Attorney.

"Jonathan Sennett's experience as a tough prosecutor in the Bronx and a seasoned defense attorney in the Hudson Valley make him the best choice for Ulster County District Attorney," said Senator Clinton.

"As the election for district attorney approaches, campaign signs are sprouting up everywhere. Senator Clinton's comments are a huge sign of her support for my campaign," said Sennett.

Sennett has aslo been endorsed for Ulster County District Attorney by Senator Charles Schumer. Schumer called Sennett a "tenacious and proactive prosecutor."

The Hudson Valley Area Labor Federation and CSEA Local 856 have also endorsed Sennett. "These two unions represent an estimated 20,000 members in Ulster County. The union support is a great vote of confidence," said Sennett.

For more information on the Sennett campaign to go: www.SennettforDA.com.

SENATOR SCHUMER ENDORSES SENNETT FOR ULSTER COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY
Schumer Calls Sennett a Proactive and Tenacious Prosecutor

NEW PALTZ, N.Y. (October 2, 2007) United States Senator Chuck Schumer, New York's senior senator, today endorsed Jonathan R. Sennett for Ulster County District Attorney.

"Jonathan Sennett is a tenacious and proactive prosecutor who will be a first-rate District Attorney for the citizens of Ulster County and its law enforcement professionals," said Senator Schumer. "He understands that to fight crime effectively, you must attack its root causes. As an assistant district attorney in the Bronx for five years, Sennett learned that tough prosecution must go hand-in-hand with prevention efforts. I have complete faith that he will develop effective strategies for the law enforcement issues facing a changing Ulster County," said Schumer.

During his 20 years in Congress, Senator Schumer was the leading sponsor of the Crime Bill that added tens of thousands of cops to communities across America. Schumer sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee and is a member of the Administrative Oversight and Courts Committee.

"Sennett is committed to maintaining and improving the quality of life that makes Ulster County a great place to live, work and raise a family," continued Schumer. "Make no mistake about it, serious crime requires serious prosecution. And Jonathan Sennett knows we must be both tough and smart when it comes to crime -- balancing prevention with first-rate law enforcement and prosecution."

"Mr. Sennett has proven that he has the skills and experience both as a prosecutor and a defense attorney to weigh each case based on its merit and seek appropriate action," concluded Schumer.

For more information on the Sennett campaign to go: www.SennettforDA.com.

GOVERNOR SPITZER ENDORSES SENNETT FOR ULSTER COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY
Sennett Support Grows from Ulster County to NYS Capitol to U.S. Capitol

NEW PALTZ, N.Y. (OCTOBER 22, 2007) Governor Eliot Spitzer is the latest high-profile Democrat to endorse Jonathan Sennett for Ulster County District Attorney.

"The people of Ulster County will be well served with Jonathan Sennett as District Attorney. I respect his skills as a prosecutor and his dedication to finding cost-effective ways to reduce crime," said Spitzer.

Sennett has pledged to fight crime more efficiently and effectively by implementing early case evaluation, rapidly responding to cases involving special victims and combating drug dealers and gang leaders by dismantling their organizations from the top down. Sennett also plans on modernizing workflow and communications in the office of the district attorney.

Sennett remains committed to working with police and community leaders to identify programs that will keep kids and teens from committing crime or engaging in risky behavior. "Jonathan Sennett has run a campaign based on core Democratic values and has gained broad based appeal. He has brought forth new ideas that will guide the Ulster County District Attorney's Office into the 21st Century," said Spitzer.

Jonathan Sennett has also been endorsed by United States Senator Charles Schumer, United States Senator Hillary Clinton and unions representing over 20,000 workers in Ulster County.

Visit Jonathan Sennett's Website: www.sennettforda.com
Sennett videos: www.sennettforda-2.magnify.net

Slide Shows and Video

View the Vote By Mail presentation prepared by the Ulster County Legislative Committee; Susan Zimet—Chair, Tracey Bartels, Cindy Bell, Sue Cummings, Stuart Fraser, Beth Murphy, and Tom Turco.
6/27/07

UCDW In the News

JULY 13, 2007 To Primary or Not to Primary

MAY 15, 2007 UCDW host Democratic DA Candidate's Night

2007 Resolutions

In response to the recent Memorandum of Agreement of the parties to the Ulster County hospital affiliation the UCDW membership voted at the regular monthly meeting March 12, 2007 as follows:

We, the members of Ulster County Democratic Women, are concerned that the existing plans and Memorandum of Agreement between The Kingston Hospital and Benedictine Hospital have not adequately protected patients’ rights and community access to care. Because the Berger Commission timetable (end of 2007) is rapidly approaching, we formally ask the hospitals to publicly address these concerns:

Relocating women’s health services to a “proximate” location should not be approved. Reproductive health care is woven into the fabric of care throughout a non-religious hospital, and such a move would not further the public’s health because it would fragment and stigmatize reproductive health care. There is no practical or legal reason to segregate reproductive services if the hospital alliance is designed to protect the historic identities and missions of each hospital.

The MOA and subsequent documents should explicitly ensure that Kingston Hospital and Kingston Regional Healthcare System (consisting of Margaretville Memorial Hospital, the Kingston Continuing Care Retirement Community, and the Kingston Regional Health Care Foundation) will remain nonsectarian and will continue to provide a full range of reproductive health services, HIV/AIDS prevention information and end-of-life choices within the hospital.

The MOA and subsequent documents should not endanger the ability of Kingston Hospital and its affiliates to continue to provide a full range of health care services and research.

Create a formal, ongoing opportunity for public participation—the first of which should be held before May 31st.

Adopted by vote March 12, 2007.

Ulster County Democratic Women
Julie McQuain, President
www.UCDW.org

UCDW membership represents: Kingston, New Paltz, Woodstock, Marbletown, Olive, Hardenburgh, Saugerties, Shandaken, Rosendale, Hurley, Ulster, Marlborough, Rochester, Esopus, Wawarsing, Shawangunk, Denning, Lloyd and Gardiner.

MAY 9, 2007 Times Herald-Record Pope to Catholic pols: Support abortion and you're out of the church