An Open Letter to the New York City Board of Elections

Mr. Gregory C. Soumas
Board of Elections in the City of New York
Executive Office
32 Broadway
New York, NY 10004-1609

November 17, 2008

Dear Mr. Soumas:

I would like to publicly apologize for being such a dim-witted dilettante on Election Day. I was under the naïve assumption that I could vote where I voted in the last two elections. Your thoughtful letter pointed out that if I had voted in the recent primary election in September I would have discovered that I was no longer registered in the polling place I have voted in since 2004. Considering your position at the Board of Elections and your deep respect for the democratic process I must assume that my local 14th St. poll worker, Betty J. Williamson's assertion that my name was on the active voter rolls for the primary in September of this year was erroneous and that she must be as confused and wrongheaded as I am. If Ms. Williamson saw my name in the book in September that would mean that you are lying. Certainly you wouldn't lie about a thing like that. That is unbecoming of a man of your bureaucratic stature. And why would anyone in the Board of Elections be eliminating legitimate voters from the rolls in late September and October of 2008? That's just crazy and un-democratic.

I should also apologize for the misguided actions of Justice Paul G. Feinman in issuing a court order on Election Day allowing me to vote on 14th St. He apparently thought that a printed out record from your own Board of Elections computer verifying my polling place as 14th St was justification for issuing the court order. If he had only thought to contact you, you could have helped him understand the logic and wisdom of eliminating my name from the book on 14th St. where I have always voted and leaving my name registered at a place I have never voted.

I must also thank you for sending your letter not to me but to all the major newspapers in the New York area and across the internet. I understand it was your way of clearing up this matter and for that I am grateful. I am particularly appreciative of your sending a copy of my voter registration card with my home address and driver's license number to all the newspapers and, by extension, to millions across the internet. What celebrity dilettante wouldn't want his private information made public? What kind of snob gets angry that his family's safety might be compromised? It comes with the territory, right? I was thinking of returning that favor by publishing your home address in this letter but then I thought that maybe one of the thousands of New Yorkers that were taken off the voter rolls in the last two months might not understand what a patriotic upstanding man you are and might show up at your doorstep with the misguided assumption that you are a petty vindictive corrupt scumbag.

Tim Robbins
New Yorker since 1961
Voter since 1976

P.S. If anyone reading this letter had a similar experience on Election Day it can and should be reported at 866ourvote.org.

cc:
Commissioners of Elections
Marcus Cederqvist, Executive Director
George Gonzalez, Deputy Executive Director
Pamela Perkins, Administrative Manager
Beth Fossella, Coordinator, Voter Registration
Steven H. Richman, General Counsel
Troy Johnson, Chief Clerk
Timothy Gay, Deputy Chief Clerk

Comments

[blp]

Hi Tim. I tried to use 866 even before the election because, having filled in a registration form here in London to vote absentee in NY, I hadn't received anything in time to send in the ballot. Unfortunately, like a lot of US sites, 866 requires commenters to register using a US Zip code, which rather buggers things up in terms of registering complaints from expats with problems similar to mine I'd say. I dug around and was able to email them, but, in my view, the form needs to be fixed to take account of expats since we're particularly susceptible to being kept out of the electoral process. Can't be that hard. (Still didn't get my ballot, by the way, but 866 were, in other respects, hyper efficient - a New York lawyer emailed me back that same day and informed me she hadn't found my name on the electoral role. I never did get to vote).

[nanton29]

Tim, I took the advice you gave when you appeared on the Bill Maher show warning of the possible shennigans that could take place on election day. I am happy to report that all went well at my polling station in the Bronx, unfortunately you had some problems yourself, but I guess they messed with the wrong man. Keep up the activism Tim.

Thanks Bro.

Huge fan of yours.

[Beowolf741]

Mr. Robbins, the way you wrote that reminded me of your work in the Shawshank Redemption movie.
Politely being insulting. I love it.

[JenniferInMO]

I would be mortified if the elections officials had published my address and personal information and no one knows who I am. What a pathetic and nasty stunt. I am sorry that this happened to Mr. Robbins, but the publicity surrounding his ordeal probably helped others to fight when they were denied the right to vote. Shame on Commissioner Soumas. He should be reprimanded or even fired (impeached? is he an elected official in NY) for treating anyone as he did Mr. Robbins and especially for publicizing personal information.

[mamadeus]

Jen, I don't know where in MO. you reside, but in 2004, many black people were thrown off the voting rosters in Kansas City. Good old Matt Blunt did the dirty deed. Conflict of interest? Hell yeah!

[texasnative3]

You know, we may be collective idiots in Texas, but we do know how to get the vote out. Early voting is key. Mr. Robbins, you and your family are welcome to move here where I have yet to hear about any voter suppression.

[dawlishgal]

IBefore one starts crowing about the voting process in Texas, one really ought to take a good hard look at the crooked and/or dumb politicians they are electing there and foisting on the rest of the country.

A governor who, with his cronies, cheated landowners and taxpayers in a stadium deal in which they stole the land (and were forced by the courts to repay the landowners) and who got taxpayers to pay for a stadium, then sold it and kept the money.

And the guy who is widely believed to be the most stupid person in the senate is, I believe, one of your guys.

[Shashi0224]

Republicans don't suppress the vote in Republican areas.

[Camm s]

BINGO!

[Suzanne1]

Tim Robbins,
You keep speaking out!! It's a pain in the butt, but you speak for all of us and we need you!
Total insanity they he attempts to blame you, and publicly, no less, about not knowing of the change in your voting site; especially considering the fact that you had in your possession proof from his own office, that your voting site had in fact NOT changed. WTF?
And, he, as a government employee entrusted with confidentiality, exposes your private information? Holy cow. Tim, go get 'im.
Thank God for you, your integrity, your intellect, and your strength.

[nicoleincolorado]

You tell 'em, Tim!! Actually, I can't believe they published all of your voter information -- that seems almost a worse offense!

[majii]

Mr. Robbins,
I discovered the same thing had happened to me here in GA. I was fortunate in that since I voted early which gave me the time to straighten things out, but the whole incident left me wondering about the number of people who showed up on Nov. 4 and discovered that their names had been removed from the list of eligible, registered voters and decided it was not worth the trouble to cast a vote.

[neoprimordial]

Mr. Robbins, I have tremendous respect for your work and your perspective as a public figure, and obviously many other people feel the same way, some of whom are posting to your blog entry here. What about some kind of documentary from you that shines a disinfecting light on this kind of de facto voter suppression? Or maybe if it's not too late you could contribute to Edward Norton's documentary on the 2008 campaign. No doubt there are lots of other people whose votes didn't get cast on Election Day because of some alleged bureaucratic foul-ups, some of which have also been mentioned by people responding to your blog here. It would be something really good coming out of something really reprehensible.

[samaire]

I loved this letter. Boy, the Commissioner of Elections pissed off the wrong person. Pretty arrogant of him to think he could pull one over on Tim Robbins. Way to go! I love NY!

[Star2000dancer]

Go Tim!! They did the same thing to me in Buffalo,NY in 2000 and 2004. I had no clue what to do about it. Stick with it, it will help alot of us who suddenly just disappeared off the list.

[neoprimordial]

Assuming it wasn't all just a big mistake, who would be foolish enough to deliberately do this to Tim Robbins, as if you wouldn't end up publicly humiliated? That's like Barney Frank going on Bill O'Reilly and expecting a quiet, civil conversation. Amazingly stupid move.

[clausnitzer]

I drove to Ohio to help canvass for Obama and I was shocked to find that many of the houses I visited were given misinformation as to where their polling place was. It came in the form of a flyer on their doorstep. This was in a low income predominantly african american community.

Voter suppression is very real and extremely vile.

Great letter "meat".

[leftypower]

As an out-of-state volunteer, I witnessed this type of occurrence in Phila on Election Day also. The local Obama campaign staff had no idea how the misinformation was delivered as though it came from their own office. We spent valuable GOTV hours attempting to rectify this this awful misdeed.

[Ourrias]

BRILLIANT!

[edEx]

Assuming Gregory C. Soumas did in fact send Mr. Robbins's voter registration card with his home address and driver's license number to all the newspapers and, by extension, to millions of people across the internet (I haven't seen it and that is why I am alleging), then I believe Mr. Robbins, if he chooses, can take this well written, justifiably sarcastic, open letter a step further by pressing charges (federal charges that is) against Mr. Soumas—not only for his alleged douchbaggery, but also his illegal act of distributing voter information and a government document (drivers license) without consent.

I would.

[JenniferInMO]

I don't think "douchebaggery" is in the penal code, but I am sure there is some kind of cause of action or actionable charge which might be worded in some other legalese. :-)

[RallyGrrrl]

A lawsuit against a NYC Elections official at a time when NY, along with the rest of the country, is really hurting financially - sounds good to me. That should teach them a thing or two.

These people are like any business - their wallets are their only concern. They know no shame, so citizens are forced to take expensive action.

[justinholt123]

They may also have committed a crime, federal law prohibits voter purging within 90 days of an election. This law has been broken in many states and may apply here.