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Seventy-six trained CUNY School of Law students will fan out at polling spots across New York City on Election Day to protect voters’ rights and to ensure that there is no interference as voters cast ballots.
The students will be placed throughout the city by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF); the Voting Rights Department of that organization has trained the students in federal and New York State voting rights laws, as well as the skills of poll monitoring.
“As immigrant communities in New York begin to realize their political power and organize themselves to increase their civic participation, it is crucial that voter suppression and intimidation not thwart their momentum or their belief in the promise of America,” said Ali Najmi, 24, a third-year CUNY Law student who is helping to organize the efforts.
Added Bright Limm, 28, a second-year student who is president of the CUNY Law Student Government: “Today many people fear that our voting rights are easily subject to violation. For communities that historically have been disenfranchised -- in particular, immigrants, people of color, and the poor -- the presence of poll monitors is not only valuable but absolutely crucial.”
Unlike candidates’ representatives, CUNY Law students will be stationed inside polling sites to enhance access to voting and to prevent the use of unlawful practices, such as demanding proof of citizenship, turning people away without photo identification when it is not required, or restricting access to language interpreters.
According to AALDEF, such practices occurred in recent elections. For instance, in New York, identification is not required to vote except for a limited group of first-time
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voters. But, according to AALDEF, during the 2004 Presidential Elections, 23% of Asian American voters surveyed were asked to show ID, 69% of whom were not required to do so.
About half of the CUNY Law students plan to volunteer in the areas of Richmond Hill and Ozone Park in Queens, predominantly South-Asian and Indo-Caribbean areas. The other students will be placed by AALDEF in locations such as Flushing, Jackson Heights, and Elmhurst in Queens; Midwood, Kensington and Coney Island in Brooklyn; and Chinatown in Manhattan.
The students have selected these areas, not only because of the national election, but also because of the unusually high turnout that is expected. “These efforts are posed to be very fruitful,” said Najmi, who is a Pakistani-American and a chief organizer of the CUNY Law project.
Many CUNY Law students groups have come together to support this effort, including the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, the South Asian Law Students Association, National Lawyers Guild, Latin American Law Students Association, Muslim Law Students Association, Organization of Women Law Students, Third World Orientation, Black Law Students Association, and Student Government.
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