A Nassau County elections commissioner is asking the county’s police commissioner to keep officers and federal agents away from polling places during this fall’s elections unless they are responding to a specific incident or requested by election officials, warning that a visible law enforcement presence could discourage voting and expose the county to legal liability.
In an Aug. 10 letter to Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder, Democratic Elections Commissioner James P. Scheuerman requested written confirmation that Nassau County Police Department officers will not be stationed at or dispatched to polling sites during early voting or on Election Day except at the request of the Nassau County Board of Elections or in response to a documented incident.
