Sunday, January 4, 2009

Gianaris questions need for ballot question

State Assemblyman Michael Gianaris (D−Astoria) is calling on the federal government to stop asking overseas voters to give their race on application forms for absentee ballots.

Gianaris, chairman of the Assembly Elections Subcommittee, said he discovered that the government was asking voters abroad to indicate their race on the applications during his review of the Nov. 4 election. He said most of the voters to use absentee ballots in the borough were in the military.

The assemblyman said he wrote a letter last week to U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates in which he called on the federal government to discontinue the practice, especially in light of President−elect Barack Obama’s historic win.


Stop questioning race on ballots: Gianaris

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey, there he is! Its so good that a politican that hid for the first three days of the blackout (before emerging from his spider hole to blame Con Ed) and whose staff routinely tells local groups not to call for support (unless you are on Tanament's short list) is still alive and kicking.

And like Team Gioias's fixation on hunger as being the number one problem in his district, this young lad's interest in this, considering his community is sliding under the waves, both exemplory and admirable, dont you think?

Anonymous said...

That is what happens with the press in your back pocket and a no civics to speak of.

You do career and resume building.

Anonymous said...

Ah yea, but isn't this guy supposed to at least make an effort?

Anonymous said...

Sure, he got credit for FedEx. Through his efforts, we are told, five trucks an hour are removed from an industial area.

Anonymous said...

So what is he doing about the 2000 people a year moving into his district?

Anonymous said...

Through his efforts, we are told, five trucks an hour are removed from an industial area.

Does that answer your question?

Anonymous said...

No, but it is a fine example of what goes for civic discussion in Astoria.