Editorial: Vote denied in Dering Harbor
Serious accusations have been leveled in the Village of Dering Harbor about being denied the right to vote in a June 2013 village election.
So far, there have been charges cast against village officials by a voter, Deybis Rodriguez, who, she said, was given a ballot and then wasn’t allowed to cast it.
Subsequently, the Suffolk County Board of Elections found no reason to question Ms. Rodriguez’s residency or qualifications to vote in Dering Harbor.
In fact, at the polls on that Election Day 2013, a Suffolk County election monitor checked Ms. Rodriguez’s identification and gave her a ballot. Ms. Rodriguez said she was then told by Village Clerk Laura Hildreth that she couldn’t vote.
Being given a ballot and then denied the right to cast it is outrageous, since the director of election operations for the state told the Reporter that the process of denying someone a ballot is when he or she checks in, not after receiving the ballot.
Also, there was no reason given why Ms. Rodriguez was denied her right, when New York election law requires officials to give an explanation why a voter is being shut out.
So far, no one in Dering Harbor is talking. The village clerk, the village attorney and the mayor have all preferred to give no comment to questions on the matter.
It’s time to give Ms. Rodriguez, and the residents of Dering Harbor, information on what’s going on.
