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Vol. 24 No. 41
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Offering support to East Meadow’s American Legion by JorDAN VAlloNe jvallone@liherald.com
Derrick Dingle/Herald
At the East Meadow American Legion’s annual fundraiser were, above, Lenny Volpe, far left, an Air Force veteran and the post’s commander; Kevin Kamper from the East Meadow Chamber of Commerce; John Priest of the East Meadow Fire Department; Mark Papagni, commander of Sons of the American Legion; Ross Schiller, a vice president with the East Meadow Chamber; and Ryan Parkman, of the East Meadow Chamber.
A packed house attended the annual fundraiser for American Legion Post 1082 in East Meadow on Sept. 15, drawing crowds of community members and organizations that came out to support the post, and its many ventures that it participates in throughout the year. Mark Papagni, commander of the Sons of the American Legion in East Meadow, a nonprofit for those whose parents or grandparents were in the military, told the Herald that this marked the fourth year the fundraiser was held at the legion’s headquarters, at 294 Bellmore Road. “In the beginning, it was that the American Legion post there was in desperate need of repairs and an influx of cash to keep the doors open,” Papagni said. “That’s what it was — a lot of fundraisers, just to make sure that doors stayed open at the ContinuED on PAgE 10
League of Women Voters highlights Electoral College by cHArleS SHAW cshaw@liherald.com
As Election Day approaches, the League of Women Voters of East Nassau hosted a presentation on Sept. 18 to educate voters about the Electoral College and its role in selecting presidents. The league is a nonpartisan, grass-roots organization that works to protect and expand voting rights throughout the country. The East Nassau chapter encompasses Merrick, Bellmore and East Meadow. According to East Nassau member Barbara Epstein, its goal is to educate communities
and encourage people to register to vote. “It’s important for people to understand what the Electoral Colle ge means and how it impacts how people vote,” Epstein said. At last week’s meeting, legal scholar Wilfred Codrington discussed the history of the Electoral College and how it has impacted presidential elections. Codrington is a fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice at the NYU School of Law and a professor of constitutional law at the Benjamin N. Cardoza School of Law. His research, teaching and advocacy focuses on voting, elections and the
laws of democracy. He noted that most voters may not fully understand how the Electoral College works. “It is that system that we know and love, or at least we think we know it,” Codrington said. “And I’m guessing, to be frank, it’s not really clear that we do love it.” The Electoral College, he explained, which selects the president, was established in the Constitution, with electors from each state fulfilling their duties six weeks after Election Day. “Neither the 330 million people living in the United States, nor the 240 million folks of vot-
ing age, get to choose the president,” Codrington said. “Rather, it is this extremely important task falling on 538 people” — the sum total of the members of Congress, plus three for the capital, Washington, D.C. To win the Electoral College, a president needs to win at least half of those votes plus one, or 270.
The electors, he said, hold that title for one day every four years, and are chosen by the political parties, based on the outcome of the popular vote in each state. “When we go to vote for the president on Election Day,” he said, “we’re actually voting for people to occupy the roles as ContinuED on PAgE 4