Who is on Tomorrow's Ballot? Voting Guide to Picking the Best Philibuster Elliot Spitzer, Democrat, incumbent by [Monica Elkinton I must run in districts that are comprised of a totally or par­ (www.spitzer2002.com) tially altered constituency, and that's when it becomes Spitzer has done great things for the state of New York, and Election Day is next Tuesday, November 5. If it seems as confusing. for Bard College students in particular. Spitzer's office has though there's an election every year, it's because there Third parties are also an important element of actively and consistently supported students' right to vote 1s. Presidential elections take place every four years, the election process. In New York State, in addition to the here, has encouragingly kept track of how many students we Congressional every two, and local officials are elected in Liberal and Conservative parties (which are not the same register to vote each year, and has argued to judges on their the off years. as the Democrats and Republicans), there are the Greens, behalf. As consumer protector, the job of the Attorney Just to review, the legislptive branch of the feder­ Libertarians, the Right to Life party, the Independence General is to sue companies that avoid the law, and Spitzer al government consists of the two chambers of the U.S. party, and the Working Families party. The Socialist has aggressively done so. He included New York in the suit Congress, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Workers Party has been dropped from the state ballot against Microsoft, and took note of faulty financial schemes The term "Congress" is often used to refer only to the because it didn't get enough votes last time, but they're in telecom companies like WorldCom and investment firms House of Representatives. Candidates running for still doing a write-in campaign. New this year is the like Merrill-Lynch before they gained national attention. He Congress are running for the House of Representatives, Marijuana Reform party, whose symbol is a pot leaf. If makes a habrt of enforcing environmental laws. In my opin­ not the Senate. The state legislature also has two houses; you 're interested in any of these parties or their candi­ ion, there's no one else in this race. in New York, these are the State Senate and the Assembly. dates, please see the individual parties' websites. A com­ This year, the main focus for voters is the new plete list of candidates for each office can be found on the Dora Irizarry, Republica d1stncts for Congress and the New York State Legislature. NY State Board of Elections Website. (www.judgeirizarry.com) The population is divided into poiitical districts, and every The opinions below are the personal opinions of Judge Irizarry was born in Puerto Rico, and currently serves ten years the Census Bureau counts the number of people Monica Elkinton, and do not reflect those of the Observer as the first Hispanic woman appointed as her kind of judge in each. Te district in which voters reside corresponds to or Bard College. I've been working with local voting and in NYC. She's also the first Hispanic woman to seek their representation; each official elected represents con­ elections here at Bard since 1999. I serve on the statewide office in New York, but that doesn't mean you stituents from a certain district, each of which has a num­ Dutchess County and Red Hook Democratic Committees. should vote for her. Her campaign website shows no posi­ ber. As a voter, you don't really have to know what num­ I write and distribute a Local Voting Guide before every tions on issues. ber district you're in, as long as you know who your repre­ Bard election, and I'm also the Chair of the Student sentatives are. The problem is that when the districts are Judiciary Board. The candidates up for election on redrawn, as they were this year, incumbent candidates Tuesday are listed below. Candidates for Lt. Governor (vice gover­ (www.senatorsaland.com) nor) run separately from the governor candidates. o Saland last visited Bard over three years ago. Like They have no other duties except to fill in if some­ Congressman Sweeney, Saland caters to the local con­ thing happens to the governor. I just usually vote servative constituency without stepping on anybody's third term in office. He's known for for the candidate in the same party as the person I toes. For example, featured prominently on his web­ comforting New Yorkers after last pick for governor. You can use the party websites site is his support for veterans and a downloadable year's terrorist attacks, but before to find out about the candidates for this office. American flag. When asked good liberal questions by that he was a moderate republican Ba rd students in 1999, all he could basically say to us involved in more than a few scan­ was, "Sorry, but the conservative votes count more dals. He's encouraged the oli­ around here, so I'm not going to change my opinion." garchic control of the legislature, participating routinely in closed- Paul T. Reagan , Democrat 11 (www.sweeneyforcongress.com) I work closely with Democratic party officials all over . door meetings with legislative lead­ Sweeney's disposition the county and I have never heard of this person. I ership. Under his watch, the New matches his name. As can't find a website for him. He's hardly acknowl­ York state budget has gotten deeper and deeper in trouble far as I know, he's a edged on the state web page. I'll probably vote for 2 and debt. The New York Times, which reluctantly endorsed weenie conservative Pataki, said. "the third term could be the one when he finally him anyway because he's the Democratic challenger._ ..- _ u--= Republican who votes but I don't know anything about him. · sets things right." the party line on every issue. He drove drunk Carl McCall, Democrat two years ago, ran his (www.mccall02.com) car into a free, and •. McCall would be the first black gover­ weaseled out of the ;nor of New York. He's currently serv­ penalty. Although invit­ ing as Comptroller, something like the ed to Bard to defend Viki Papadimitriou of the state, and himself, his campaign has done a good job of keeping did not return our calls. Pataki's huge budget in check. He's a It would take a lot for me to former head of the NYC School Board, vote for this guy. where he did some good things for edu­ cation. He's also strong on health care. McCall's campaign, Frank Stoppenbach, Democrat Like I said above, comptroller is basically like the Viki however. has not denied his support of the congressional res­ (www.frankcongress.com) Papadimitriou of the state. The Comptroller keeps olution on Iraq and his plan to enforce the death penalty, Frank stopped by Bard last track of the budget for the state, and makes sure the both positions that I think are very important. Thursday, October 24th, but amount of spending equals the amount of income. fewer than ten students The Comptroller collects taxes, and keeps state agen­ Stanley Aronowitz, Green showed up to see him cies from spending too much. I don't know much (www.stanleyaronowitz.com) speak. Don't worry, you did­ about these candidates. He came to speak at Bard last n't miss anything. Besides · Monday, October 21. He's a former mumbling everything, he labor organizer and teaches at the repeatedly talked about the Alan Hevesi, Democrat City University of New York. His seven years he spent in ~ ..llllli. , Hevesi served eight years as NYC comptroller, and he's ideas, while sometimes extreme, Japan and how we should do everything like the a former Assembly member. He teaches at Fordham generally make sense. The peaceful Japanese do it. He has a solar house, but that and Columbia, and ran for NYC Mayor in 2001. He's ideas of dropping the Rockefeller doesn't necessarily mean you should vote for him. very qualified. drug laws, encouraging renewable My main problem is that I couldn't really see him energy so we could stop caring about being much of a leader in Wash ington, and I don't Joe Faso, Republican Iraq, and aiding upstate farmers are want to elect someone so soft-spoken to re present Faso is currently an assembly member with high aspi­ mostly common sense for Bard students. me. rations. According to Newsday, the only reason he's running now is that the Republican party leadership Tom Golisano, Independence and Conservative Parties Margaret Lewis, Green owed him a favor. (www.golisano.com): (www.margaret4congress.org) :Voting Guide, published by Planned Parenthood of the Mid+tudson Golisano has blatantly bought his Margaret was here with ;Valley Action Fund. This guide is available in Kline and the campus way into the New York governor Stanley Aronowitz on '. Center, or you can get it at the website below. It gives comprehensive race. His whole campaign, like the October 21. She is a !info and endorsements based on how the candidates answered their recent one by John Corzine in New '. survey on abortion issues. It's an excellent resource. local grassroots activist, i Jersey, is financed out of his own with a record of arrest !internet Sites pocket. He's conservative, and will for civil disobedience: General Internet Sites other info. probably take votes away from Washington, DC for www.nyvote.com Pataki, but is not endorsed by the protesting the War in www.vote-smart.org www.ppmhv.org/vguide (Planned Parenthood Voters Guide) -1 Republican party.