Tag: disenfranchisement

2026 NYS Primary voting

Also: June 21 talk about the impact of SCOTUS’s latest decisions on voting by Mark Mishler

voting.womanThe 2026 NYS Primary voting has already started! Early voting continues now through Sunday, June 21. Primary election day is Tuesday, June 23, at the general election polling places, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. As a polling place employee back in 2021 (or 2022?), I know it’s going to be a slow day in some parts of the state.

I will admit that, when I don’t have enough information for a race, I rely on trusted sources. In previous elections, I have even used specific neighbors’ lawn signs as a gauge.

As an Albany Democrat, I only have two races to consider. (Other Albanians have hyperlocal additional choices.) Absent other reliable sources, I’ve opted to repost here the Facebook comments of Mark Mishler, whom I’ve only known for about four decades and who has the bona fides (see below) for me to look to his opinions. I’ve not always gone with his picks, but I’m doing so here.

NYS COMPTROLLER – DREW WARSHAW.
“The long-term incumbent, Tom DiNapoli, has to go. There are multiple reasons, including his intentional use of NYS pension funds to support the government of Israel. He has purchased Israel Bonds (which provide the Israeli government with unrestricted resources to continue the brutal genocide against the Palestinian people of Gaza and the occupation of the West Bank.) DiNapoli supports the Israeli government unequivocally.
“DREW WARSHAW has relevant experience; he has a progressive vision for the office that is focused on human needs and sound investment strategies; and he will end the use of NY’s pension fund to support foreign governments, including the government of Israel.
“There’s another candidate in the primary, Raj Goyle, who also opposes the purchase of Israel Bonds. I strongly believe DREW WARSHAW is the best of the two challengers and urge people to vote for him. “
I’ve only received info from DiNapoli, both mailer and on Facebook.
Here Comes The Judge
The only other race I have to consider is ALBANY COUNTY COURT JUDGE:
Mishler: “I strongly support TINA SODHI in this three-way primary. She would bring 20 years of experience representing low-income people facing criminal charges. She also would bring to the bench her experience as a woman of color and as an immigrant.
“I have practiced in this court for many years. There is a long and shameful tradition of Albany County being one of the harshest sentencing counties in all of NY State, with a consistently high rate of long state prison sentences, a burden disproportionately experienced by the Black community in Albany County. A fresh perspective is sorely needed. https://tinaforcountycourt.com/“
I’ve received literature from Tina K. Sodhi and from John M. Czajka, but not, to date,  from  Joseph J. Meany.
As I often say, yet possibly not enough, I ALWAYS vote.
Disenfranchisement
The Anti-Racism Committee of 1st Presbyterian Church, Albany, 362 State Street, has invited Attorney Mark Mishler to join us after Sunday worship on June 21 to speak about the impact of the Supreme Court’s latest decisions on voting.

While this decision especially impacts minorities whose representatives in Congress are being “redistricted” out, it will have an enormous effect on the entire country. Will our votes count? Will our voices be heard?

Please join us to learn about how this decision affects YOU and US. We will meet from 10:45 AM to noon. A light brunch will be served. This is important, so spread the word.

* Mark Mishler has practiced civil rights (police misconduct, employment discrimination, and housing discrimination) and criminal defense law in the capital region since 1981. He has served on the Executive Board of the Albany NAACP, was Co-President of the Albany City-Wide PTA, and has served on the steering committees of the Capital District Coalition Against Apartheid and Racism, Capital Area Against Mass Incarceration, and Jewish Voice for Peace, Albany.

Mark developed and taught courses on the law of mass incarceration at Albany Law School and at the UAlbany School of Criminal Justice. Mark has also, since 2019, served as Counsel to NYS Senator Julia Salazar, who chairs the NYS Senate Committee on Crime Victims, Crime & Correction, and, in that capacity, has been involved in statewide criminal legal system reform and corrections policy, among other areas. He has written about the Supreme Court’s efforts to dismantle the Voting Rights Act.

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