WELCOME TO THE PUTNAM COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS

COMMISSIONERS

Our Mission:
To make sure every person eligible to vote in Putnam County has an
opportunity to register and vote
in all Elections.

The integrity of a democracy in many ways depends less on the actions of its voters than on those responsible for ensuring the fair administration of its elections. Throughout history, the sanctity of popularly elected government, both abroad and at home, has been threatened by those who attempt to override the will of the voters through various forms of fraud and suppression of opposition. Political machines have threatened to siphon the power from the electoral base to those primarily concerned with preserving their office and influence; without a strong guardian of the democratic process, elections become meaningless. As William “Boss” Tweed of New York City’s 19th century Tammany Hall machine put it, “As long as I count the votes, what are you going to do about it?”

While such blatant and egregious voter fraud in our nation thankfully appears to be a thing of the past, it remains the chief responsibility of the Putnam County Board of Elections to make certain that the purity of our political system is not jeopardized by the actions of individuals or small groups aiming to use the system solely for their own personal gains. The Board works tirelessly to make sure that the will of each voter can be expressed without fear of oppression or fraud and that all those who desire to run for office will have the unimpeded opportunity to do so.

The Board is chaired by two highly experienced Election Commissioners who strive to ensure that New York State Election Law is faithfully followed. The Commissioners, along with our staff of Election Specialists, work alongside citizens on all sides of the ballot, voters, candidates, and election workers, to make certain that elections are conducted in an honest manner. The Board mandates full and complete disclosure of campaign financing practices as one step in achieving this goal. Working alongside the New York State Board of Elections, the Putnam Board holds candidates to the strict guidelines established in New York State Election Law, requiring their utmost cooperation in both identifying the sources of their campaign funds and abiding by restrictions regarding the sizes of donations.

At the Board of Elections we aim to create an atmosphere that welcomes everyone to participate in the political process; a government of the people can only accommodate those citizens who make their voices heard. With this desire to extend the franchise to all those that are eligible in mind, the PCBOE has worked in accordance with the provisions of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to make certain that every person qualified to vote in Putnam County has the opportunity to do so. Beginning with the 2008 election cycle, voters will be given the option of utilizing new optical scanning voting machines. These machines are intended to provide significantly increased accessibility for the disabled population by utilizing a variety of different devices with which the disabled population can indicate their selections.

Underlining all of the above is the responsibility of the Board to encourage full voter participation in the electoral process while keeping pace with ever changing Election Law mandates, to promote voter confidence while combating political apathy, and to protect voters’ rights while not intruding on the natural progression of the political process. Most simply, we make it the aim of each day to guarantee that it is the voters, and not the vote-counters, the campaign managers, or any other peripheral influences, that make the difference on Election Day. Failure in this endeavor represents a failure for the American people and an unfortunate weakening of our political process.