Syracuse, N.Y. – Tony Malavenda, Democratic Candidate for Onondaga County Executive issued a statement responding to the politically motivated and voter suppression comments in Syracuse.com by Republican Election Commissioner Michele Sardo.
“Despite the public outcry, the Republican Elections Commissioner Michele Sardo is still refusing to take full advantage of early voting in Onondaga County. With state funding available for eight sites, the plan continues to only provide six. This plan leaves an egregious gap in the Western Towns like Camillus and Onondaga, meaning many will have to travel north to Van Buren or south to Lafayette to participate in early voting,” said Malavenda.
A recent Syracuse.com article quotes Sardo calling this a political move from Democrats, claiming that a site at Onondaga Community College would primarily serve Democratic voting students. This commentary completely ignores the diversity of OCC’s students, including a range of ages and backgrounds in addition to the thousands of people commuting past OCC every morning.
Malvenda continued “It’s remarkable that one of the people running our Board of Elections is willing to make this a political stunt. Sardo shows clear disrespect for the voters of Onondaga County by claiming there’s no need for additional sites due to there only being local elections on the ballot,” said Tony Malavenda. “It’s a clear sign that the Republican establishment feels threatened and will go to extreme lengths to keep people from the polls. McMahon loves to hold his ceremonies at OCC and LeMoyne but isn’t willing to stand up for students when it counts and use a county facility to significantly expand our democracy.”
The deadline for a final plan is May 29th, concerned individuals should call and email their elected officials to ensure early voting sites are expanded.