Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump began in early October to implore his supporters to self-monitor polling locations on Election Day. This move is something many political experts and voting rights groups have found alarming.

Additionally, concerns that minorities could be intimidated or threatened away from voting have arisen.

Trump claims that the 2016 election is rigged against him and in favor of the Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

While experts believe the potential consequences in New York from unauthorized poll monitors will be mitigated with Clinton boasting such high poll numbers throughout the state, the Onondaga County Board of Elections’ Democratic Commissioner Dustin Czarny, said the county elections office is ready and prepared for any unrest on Nov. 8.

The potential disruptions to the voting system come Election Day, however, have not gone unnoticed by local politicians.

Both Democrat Colleen Deacon and Republican John Katko recently weighed in on Trump’s comments.

“Look, I mean, I think we have a pretty sound elections process in place,” said Deacon, a former regional director in New York state Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s office. “I hope that this doesn’t cause any issues, or cause people to feel like they can’t come out and vote.”

Deacon, who is also a Syracuse University alumna, currently finds herself 23 percentage points down against incumbent Rep. Katko (R-N.Y.) in the state’s 24th Congressional District race.

Before holding a private meeting with community leaders at a campaign event in the South Side Communications Center, Deacon noted that she thinks the Onondaga County Board of Elections does an “excellent” job.

“I do have faith in our system, I have faith in the board of elections here in the 24th District, New York state and all over the country,” she said.

Deacon’s Republican opponent agrees.

Katko, a SU College of Law alumnus, was recently endorsed by The New York Times for being a “rare breed of Republican.” He told Syracuse.com in early October he thinks Trump should drop out of the race, during the fallout over The Washington Post publishing audio of the New York business mogul making lewd and vulgar comments against women in 2005.

In an email, Katko said democracy in the United States hinges on faith in “our transparent and open elections.”

“There are safeguards in place to prevent fraud within our election system and when needed, to remediate any wrongdoing or inaccuracies that have occurred,” the congressman said. “I have faith in the processes we have in place here in Onondaga, Cayuga, Wayne and Oswego Counties.”

Katko said he does not doubt the upcoming election will be fair and just.

Said Katko: “Every law-abiding American citizen has a right to participate in our political system as well as a right to cast their vote in a safe and non-threatening environment.”

Published on November 2, 2016 at 9:13 pm

Contact Sam: sfogozal@syr.edu | @SamOgozalek