Monthly Archives: October 2018

The JUST general meeting for Thurs Oct 25 at 5pm is at STIC, and NOT  as originally planned at the United Presbyterian Church.

After some agitating by JUST members, the Broome County Board of Elections has now posted a note on its website  noting that parolees with new pardons by the Governor can vote.  Many County Boards of Election across the state incorrectly state that those convicted of felonies cannot vote while on parole.  This is untrue, and is repeated on the local newspaper’s guide to how to register to vote. Persons on parole in NY State should have received notes from their parole officers on how to re-register to vote if they are among the 24,000+ persons now permitted to vote. See this link for how to do this.  Some surrounding County Board of Elections still state on their websites that anyone on parole cannot vote (e.g. Tompkins County, which incorrectly states “You may not register or vote if you have been convicted of a felony and : you are currently incarcerated; or you are under parole supervision.”  http://tompkinscountyny.gov/boe/For_Voters/How_to_Register/Index_How_Do_I_Register).  We need more work on this.

Several JUST members spoke up at the October 11th public hearings on the Broome County’s proposed 2019 budget: Kevin Revier tackled the mis-allocations and poor policies re substance use disorders, Rozann Greco lambasted the cuts in health and human services, and Bill Martin attacked the county exec’s proposed budget as a mass incarceration, mass policing budget. The cost of the jail alone has accelerated continuously as can be seen in the figure below.  Bill Martin’s comments are here: Build it and they will pay