Swing votes

In November Skidmore students made the difference in a close race for Saratoga Springs commissioner of public works. Democratic incumbent Thomas McTygue squeaked by his challenger with a 203-vote margin, thanks to a 269-36 result in the Skidmore voting.

This was the first year that Skidmore voters had a polling place right on campus, as county redistricting created a separate voting district composed solely of the Skidmore campus.

And it was the first year that the local Democratic committee included Juan Martinez ’03, who rallied hundreds of fellow students to register and vote. His activism also inspired the candidates to take students seriously: only one politician missed a meet-the-candidates night on campus, while two years ago several skipped the event.

Martinez told the Glens Falls Post-Star, “What we proved is that we listen, that we are a force, and that we can carry close elections.” —SR