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Rules Governing Eligibility of Voters Receive Clarification by Poll Worker

JOSHUA LEINSDORF
Forester Drive
District #1 Poll Worker, Princeton Borough

Lawyer Seeking Special Election Asks: Where Are State's Democratic Leaders?

CARL J. MAYER
Battle Road

Neighbor of Planned Route 206 Club Was Not Notified About Application

ELIZABETH REILLY MOYNAHAN
Bayard Lane

Community Park Pool User Applauds A "Rare Treasure for Our Community"

FRANK WIENER
Loomis Court

Rules Governing Eligibility of Voters Receive Clarification by Poll Worker

To the Editor:

There is one material error and several important omissions in the League of Women Voters' enumeration of voting rules (Town Topics, September 1). It Is not true that "all voters must present an acceptable ID upon signing in at the poll." Only first-time voters who registered by mail must present an ID.

Election workers, who have poll books containing the signatures of all registered voters in the district, are required to compare signatures to verify the identity of each voter. Voters must sign twice and print their names once. This is a far more foolproof method of identification than an ID.

As Edith Neimark's letter states, eligible voters must be "a resident at the present address for at least 30 days, and must be registered at least 29 days before the election." What she neglected to add is that most voters who move after the deadline for registration are still entitled to vote. If the voter has moved within the same election district (a different dorm room, apartment, or down the street) they can still vote in their old district.

If they have moved within Mercer County since the last election, they are still entitled to vote in their new voting location. However, they must vote by provisional ballot, so that their eligibility to vote at their old address can be verified by the Board of Elections before the ballot is counted.

If they have moved out of the county within the 29-day period before the election, they can return to their old polling place to cast a ballot. It is only voters who move out of or into Mercer County before the October 4 deadline without re-registering who lose their right to vote.

These are complex rules, but they are designed to ensure that all bona fide voters can cast a ballot, without creating easy opportunities for voter fraud. The League of Women Voters should be commended for its important work of registering voters. In this highly mobile society, with constantly changing rules and laws, it is essential that, especially after the debacle of the 2000 election, voters have access to accurate information so no one will be unfairly disenfranchised.

JOSHUA LEINSDORF
Forester Drive
District #1 Poll Worker, Princeton Borough

Lawyer Seeking Special Election Asks: Where Are State's Democratic Leaders?

To The Editor:

Any day I expect to open a newspaper and find that local and state authorities have put out a missing persons report for New Jersey Democratic leaders.

Is there not one Democratic elected leader in the state who believes that New Jersey citizens should elect their next Governor? It is the "Democratic" Party, after all, which implies some minimal concern for democracy.

As things stand now, New Jersey will have an unelected Governor for 14 months who was effectively chosen by embattled Governor James McGreevey because McGreevey is manipulating the process by refusing to submit a resignation letter, even though he says definitively he will resign. Co-counsel Bruce Afran and I will continue to battle in the courts to obtain an order compelling a special election.

Is there not one elected Democrat in the state who will do the right thing and publicly call for McGreevey to step aside and join us in this fight?

Every newspaper editorial board in the state has called for McGreevey's resignation and a special election. The polls show the public wants McGreevey to go and they want to elect their next Governor, as the Constitution requires.

The Trenton Times reported that the Kerry campaign, this summer, hatched McGreevey's resignation scheme as a way to avoid a special election that would drain resources from the presidential race. The result? President Bush now holds a four-point lead in New Jersey in the latest polls, no doubt due to the public's disgust with the McGreevey-Kerry corruption ticket.

Instead of standing up for democracy, Democratic leaders keep backing McGreevey. Princeton Township Mayor Phyllis Marchand and fellow Democrats heaped praise on McGreevey right through his resignation and none have called for a democratic election. Where is former Governor Florio or former State Attorneys General? Are they so blindly partisan that they will stand for criminality and thwarting the right of the people to vote?

Democratic elected officials might reconsider their continued praise by considering that the McGreevey administration is the most investigated, indicted and convicted administration in New Jersey history. Democrats in this state can't even bring themselves to return campaign contributions from Charles Kushner, an admitted federal criminal. Congressman Rush Holt will not return Kushner's contributions and Senator Corzine only returned some of Kushner's criminal money.

Standing up for democracy and rejecting criminal money would seem to be two minimal requirements for those who call themselves either democrats or leaders.

Even if the Democratic Party is not motivated to do what is right, they might consider that their continued alliance with the McGreevey corruption axis will damage Kerry this fall and Democrats in the future.

Oh well, the Democratic Party can always blame their travails on Ralph Nader. He must have made them corrupt. Let's kick him off the ballot.

CARL J. MAYER
Battle Road

Editor's Note: Mr. Mayer, along with Princeton attorney Bruce Afran, is representing the citizens of New Jersey in a lawsuit seeking to compel a special election to determine the next Governor this November 2. He is the author of Shakedown: The Fleecing of the Garden State.

Neighbor of Planned Route 206 Club Was Not Notified About Application

To the Editor:

The proposed jazz club at the site of the old, quiet Mike's Tavern will subject householders along Birch Avenue, Duffield Place, Bayard Lane, and Leigh Avenue to loud amplified music of unknown quality droning on and on into the night. To add to this disturbance is the start-up noise of the 57 cars, as well as the nastiness of raised voices of a drinking crowd of over 100 people leaving at one o'clock in the morning when Route 206 is quiet and almost deserted.

The proposal is particularly objectionable when one considers how many of the local residents have been spending hard cash in recent years upgrading and remodeling their properties.

Although we are within 200 feet of the project, we were not informed of this intrusion as required by law.

ELIZABETH REILLY MOYNAHAN
Bayard Lane

Community Park Pool User Applauds A "Rare Treasure for Our Community"

To the Editor:

"May I....have your attention please?"

Anyone who has ever spent an afternoon at Princeton's Community Park Pool will instantly recognize these familiar words. They serve as the unique trademark of an effective and dedicated individual, Larry Ivan, Director of Community Park Pool.

One recent evening, as the summer season was quickly and sadly drawing to a close with a hint of the coming fall chill, I surfaced from my daily swimming routine for a gasp of air. Pausing for a moment, I observed the people around me and was struck by one remarkable fact. Whether they were in pursuit of active or passive pleasures, either in the water or on dry ground, people were truly having a good time. Folks of all ages should have fun, and Community Park Pool allows us to do just that. This facility is a rare treasure for our community. Long may it live.

We owe much gratitude to Mr. Ivan and his wonderful staff for making the pool the great place that it is each and every summer. In the words of Del Shannon and on behalf of all of the people who share my appreciation, I say "Hats off to Larry." See you next summer.

FRANK WIENER
Loomis Court