Vote for president on Twitter? False fliers raise questions
No, you can’t cast a vote in next month’s Presidential election using a social media hashtag, though fliers found on SUNY New Paltz’s campus Sunday claim you can.
The only ways to have your vote counted in the election is by going to your designated polling place and casting it in person on Nov. 8, or by absentee ballot if approved in advance.
However, the fliers, which were not approved by the college, encouraged voting for Hillary Clinton by posting the word “Hillary” to Facebook or Twitter using “#PresidentialElection” anytime on Nov. 8 between the hours of 7 a.m. and 9 p.m.
As this year's presidential election has done to the nation, the potential impact of the fliers split the Republican and Democratic commissioners of the Ulster County Board of Elections. The fliers also prompted a swift response from SUNY New Paltz.
The black-and-white fliers make no mention of Clinton’s opponent in the election, Donald Trump, and were made to look like an official advertisement, including the Clinton campaign’s website and logo. The flier was not authorized by the Clinton campaign, said Rodney Capel, director of the Clinton campaign in New York State.
Melissa Kaczmarek, New Paltz's media relations manager, said a concerned student supplied University Police with a copy of the poster Sunday, and police had been directed to remove the flyers.
Kaczmarek said the college was sending an email to the campus community, clarifying that votes cannot be cast using social media and sharing the college's policies governing political activity on campus. She said that policy, which states "individual campaign posters are not permitted in public spaces on campus," was shared with the campus community on Oct. 14.
Clinton, Trump: Does anything they say matter?
Several copies were found Sunday at SUNY New Paltz's Lecture Center, on exterior and interior doors, on walls, and on tables.
"They are misleading," said SUNY New Paltz junior Vincent Abukosi of the Town of Poughkeepsie, a 32-year-old political science major who formerly worked as a contractor with the Department of Defense. Abukosi plans on voting for Clinton for president.
Ulster County Democratic Board of Elections Commissioner Vic Work said the flyers were concerning. Work said more than 1,000 new voters with the SUNY New Paltz address, and addresses near the college, all of whom will vote on campus, registered to vote this year.
"A lot of them, this is their first time voting, so what do they know?" Work said.
He added, regarding the flier, "What I'm concerned with is that they could be doing this at every college across the U.S."
Ulster County Republican Board of Elections Commissioner Tom Turco didn't share Work's concern.
“Could there be naïve voters out there, first-time voters?” Turco asked. “I guess. Online voting is not part of our system. For anybody to think that you can vote online is kind of silly.”
After learning about the flyer from the Journal, Work said he alerted Ulster County Democratic Committee Chairman Frank Cardinale, who notified the Clinton campaign.
Both Clinton and Trump have ties to the mid-Hudson Valley. Clinton's daughter, Chelsea, was married in Rhinebeck. Trump owns Trump National Golf Club, Hudson Valley, in Stormville, and has family members who own property in the region.
According to a recent Siena College poll, Clinton owns a 24-point lead over Trump in New York. Nationally, according to USA Today's Poll Tracker, Clinton held a 6-point lead on Trump, as of Thursday.
John W. Barry: jobarry@poughkeepsiejournal.com, 845-437-4822, Twitter: @JohnBarryPoJo