Hofstra Law students assist voters on Election Day

Hofstra Law School, Hempstead, N.Y. — On Election Day, hundreds of frustrated voters, turned away at the polls, came to the Nassau County Courthouse where Hofstra Law students, supervised by professors, represented the voters as they petitioned to reinstate voting rights.

Stefan Krieger, Professor of Law and Serge Martinez, Associate Clinical Professor of Law ran the non-partisan Election Day program that gave law students a chance to represent disenfranchised voters.   

“Hofstra Law students were stationed at the courthouse on Election Day to help these voters navigate their way through the complex legal system,” said Martinez.  “In all, 130 voters were able to cast ballots because of our students’ hard work.”

Rejected voters often hail from low-income or immigrant communities.   “We have a strong belief that every citizen has the right to vote and every vote should be counted,” Martinez said.

Prior to Election Day, Krieger and Martinez trained the law students who studied cases and procedural issues they were likely to face.   “For many of them, this was their first chance to argue in front of a judge.  It was a great learning experience for these students and an excellent service to surrounding communities.”

Hofstra Law School was recently named one of the country’s best public interest law schools by preLaw magazine, a national publication aimed at prospective law students.  Among the 75 law schools that made the list, Hofstra ranked 11th.

A pioneer in clinical programs, Hofstra Law School is home to clinics for Child Advocacy, Community and Economic Development, Criminal Justice, Law Reform Advocacy, Mediation, Political Asylum and Securities Arbitration.

Hofstra Law School prepares passionate students to make an impact in their communities and beyond. Accredited by the American Bar Association and ranked in the top 100 law schools nationwide, Hofstra Law is located on the campus of Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. The Law School offers both full-time and part-time juris doctor (J.D.) programs as well as LL.M. graduate degrees in American Legal Studies (for foreign law graduates) and Family Law (for U.S. law graduates).