When Democrats Turned Blue by Carol Kammen Following my April essay describing “When Tompkins County Turned Blue,” County Legislator Mike Lane pointed out that Democrats have not always been represented by the color blue. It reminded me of a time when the Democratic Party was represented by red, the Republicans blue, following the British coding system of blue for conservatives and red for liberals. So, what happened? It’s complicated. Our flag features both blue and red, but the colors used to represent the major political parties often depended upon who was drawing the map. During the Civil War, a popular map was sold with a blue and a red pencil, allowing the owner to determine the color. But Union troops wore blue uniforms; thereafter that color was generally associated with the Republican Party. The final determination was not a political choice or a people’s choice, but that of newscasters on television when color TV became popular in the 1950s and 60s.Variously, tv stations portrayed winners in national elections in either blue or red, often switching colors after each election. In 1976, states voting for Jimmy Carter were displayed in red, while Gerald Ford’s wins were blue. In 1996, NBC painted […]

When Local Clergy Went Underground: The Last Time Abortion Was Illegal by Carol Kammen In 1968, women with troubled pregnancies had no place to turn. Abortion was illegal, and, when available, often unsafe.That was the year local clergy stepped in to help, led by Rev. David Evans of the First Baptist Church in Ithaca. When the Clergy Went Underground is a readers’ script that I have developed from Evans’s memoir of the Upstate New York Clergy Consultation Service (CCS). A network of ministers, rabbis, members of the Roman Catholic clergy and medical professionals, CCS aided women seeking abortions or a frank discussion of their options. It was the CCS that drew Assembly member Constance E. Cook, in 1970, to write and push through a bill that decriminalized abortion in New York State and became a model for federal legislation. The reading will take place Monday, May 13 at 7:00 p.m. at the First Unitarian Church of Ithaca, located at the corner of North Aurora and Buffalo streets. Admission is free and open to the public. The reading will feature the voices of David Dietrich, Sylvia Grosvold, TCDC Chair Linda Hoffmann, Michael Hoffmann and myself. The play is directed by Sue […]

Primary Elections The June 28, 2022 Primary is no longer a Federal Primary This primary is for registered Democrats and Republicans in Tompkins County. The contests are: Candidate for Governor (D & R) Candidate for Lieutenant Governor (D only) Candidate for City of Ithaca 4th Ward Alderperson (D only) Absentee eligibility for this election includes: civilian, permanent, UOCAVA, and military. Absentees must also be enrolled in the party having the primary. The Federal Primary is currently scheduled for August 23, 2022 It is not yet known which parties will have a primary for the Congressional Representative Candidate(s) or which district number will be the final approved for Tompkins County Voters. When the district information and dates are settled, we will share that information with the public. This primary date may include Candidate for State Senator. Federal Voters are eligible to vote for Candidate for Congressional Representative only. Civilian, permanent, UOCAVA, and military absentee voters are eligible to vote for both contests in this election. Special Election for Representative in Congress 23rd (current) District It is expected that an election would be held for the remainder of the term (through 2022) for Representative in Congress, 23rd District, a seat vacated by Tom Reed. All […]

New York State has recently enacted a law that will change the ability of voters who have applied for an absentee ballot to vote in person on the voting machine. In the past, voters who applied for an absentee ballot could change their minds and vote in person on a voting machine either during early voting or on Election Day. Their absentee ballots, if completed and sent in to the Board of Elections, would then be set aside unopened. With this new law, voters who have applied for an absentee ballot may still go to the polls on Election Day, but they will no longer be able to vote on the machine. If they wish to vote in-person, it will be by affidavit ballot only. If you have any questions about this law, please call the Board of Elections at (607) 274-5522. Qualifications To Vote By Absentee Ballot 1. Absent from your county on Election Day. 2. Unable to appear at the polls due to temporary or permanent illness or disability, 3. Unable to appear because you are the primary care giver of one or more individuals who are ill or physically disabled. 4. A resident or patient of a […]

In Tompkins County more than 300 people are needed to work as election inspectors and operate the polls on Election Day. In order to be a Democratic Poll Watcher you must be 17 or older, a registered Democratic voter in Tompkins County (or pre-registered if under 18), and enjoy people and service to others. https://www2.tompkinscountyny.gov/boe/pollworker Voter Registration for the General Election MAIL REGISTRATION (N.Y. Election Law Section 5-210(3)) Applications must be postmarked no later than October 8, 2021 and received by a board of elections no later than October 13, 2021 to be eligible to vote in the General Election. IN PERSON REGISTRATION (N.Y. Election Law Sections 5-210, 5-211, 5-212) You may register at your local board of elections or any state agency participating in the National Voter Registration Act, on any business day throughout the year but, to be eligible to vote in the General Election, your application must be received no later than October 8, 2021. If honorably discharged from the US Military or have become a naturalized US Citizen after October 8, 2021, you may register in person at the Board of Elections up until October 23, 2021. CHANGE OF ADDRESS (N.Y. Election Law Section 5-208(3)) Notices of change of address from registered voters […]