FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM NOVEMBER 2, 2017 • THE QUEENS COURIER 11
Court orders LeFrak City poll site restored
BY ANGELA MATUA
amatua@qns.com / @AngelaMatua
Th e New York State Supreme Court
ruled last week that voting locations at
a housing complex in Corona must be
restored before the Nov. 7 primary elections.
In August, the LeFrak Tenants
Association and other community groups
fi led a complaint in New York Supreme
Court against the state Board of Elections
(BOE) for moving a polling site off the
apartment complex that has been serving
residents for 50 years.
LeFrak City, an aff ordable housing
development in Corona with 15,000 tenants,
also serves as a polling site for residents.
Th e tenants, many of whom are
black, Latino and elderly, vote in the
20-building complex’s Continental Room
at 96-10 57th Ave.
In May, the BOE moved the polling site
to the High School for Arts and Businesses
and P.S. 13, which are three-quarters and
a third of a mile away from LeFrak City,
respectively. According to the complaint,
the site was moved due to a 2010 lawsuit
fi led by Disabled in Action, a group of
organizations advocating for disabled voters.
Th e suit claimed that this site and four
others in the city did not comply with the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Th e site was used for the November 2015
general election, the April 2016 Presidential
Primary, the June 2016 Congressional
Primary and the September 2016 Primary
Election. Following a September 2016
review by the BOE, the agency found
seven issues with the LeFrak City polling
site, according to the complaint.
“Subsequent to the issuance of the
report the Continental Room was used for
the 2016 Presidential Election, which saw
a 50 percent plus turnout; no one complained
about being unable to vote due
to the ‘problems’ fl agged by the contractor,”
the complaint read. “In fact, those
fi ndings were not relayed to LeFrak City
management so that they could rectify the
problems.”
Although LeFrak City management
contacted BOE in June saying it would
rectify any problems
— and even suggested
another site on the property
for voting purposes
— the BOE said the
4,500 registered voters
had already been reassigned
to the two other
sites.
On Friday, Oct. 27,
Judge Erika M. Edwards
issued an order for the
immediate relocation
of the 15th, 16th, 17th,
18th and 25th Election
Districts back to LeFrak
City, reversing an action
made by the (BOE).
Edwards called the move
“irrational, arbitrary and capricious.”
In response, the BOE fi led an appeal
to the ruling on Oct. 30 and requested a
stay. Offi cials said that community leaders
already began telling LeFrak City residents
that the polling sites had been
moved back and this appeal will create
uncertainty if the judge grants a stay.
“Not only did the court fi nd that the
BOE’s actions were ‘irrational, arbitrary
and capricious,’ it also ordered them to
take immediate action to correct its mistake
and to fi nd additional poll sites within
LeFrak City to ensure this situation
never happens again. We could not have
expected a better victory – and we fully
expect to prevail on the appeal,” said
Arthur Schwartz, an attorney representing
petitioners.“Unfortunately, by asking for
a stay of Judge Edwards’ order, the board
has created a very chaotic situation.”
With only seven days until the General
Election, residents are unsure of where to
cast their ballots on Nov. 7. A number of
community leaders gathered outside of
the BOE headquarters at 42 Broadway in
Manhattan to applaud the judge’s decision
to reverse the BOE’s action.
“Th e BOE originally acted without any
input whatsoever from our community
and later ignored all of our suggested
alternatives,” said Malikah Shabazz, president
of LeFrak City Tenants Association.
“Alternatives that would have allowed for
many of our seniors and residents with
disabilities a safe and accessible opportunity
to vote. Th ese acts resulted in a much
lower turnout than we normally have in
primary elections. I hope the BOE will
eagerly look to involve community residents
throughout the decision-making
process when it comes to locating and
relocating poll sites.”
Edward’s decision last Friday also
requires the BOE to fi nd other suitable
voting locations within LeFrak City and
to help management make potential locations
suitable for all voters, including
remaining compliant with the American
with Disabilities Act (ADA). Th e BOE has
also been instructed to immediately notify
all LeFrak City voters of their new voting
locations.
Photo courtesy of LeFrak City
A judge ordered the Board of Elections to restore a polling site at
LeFrak City in Corona before elections on Nov. 7.
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