NYDLC CO-CHAIRS
Ben Duke is a litigation partner in the New York office of Covington & Burling LLP who has been involved in pro bono voting rights litigation and related activities for many years. Most recently, he was one of the lead trial lawyers in Kravitz et al. v. U.S. Dept. of Commerce et al., which struck down the addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 U.S. Census. He has also worked with leading public interest organizations in filing an amicus brief with the US Supreme Court and advising on other voting rights cases. Ben served as a volunteer Democratic election monitor in Miami (2012); Norfolk, Virginia (2017); Tuscaloosa, Alabama (December 2017 special election); and, most recently, in Nassau County, NY (2018).
Carol Schrager is an attorney who counsels and represents diverse individuals, corporate and insurance company clients in a wide-ranging private civil practice. In 2012, Ms. Schrager was part of the election protection operation run by a team of senior attorneys deployed to work within the Board of Elections in Cleveland, Ohio. During the election cycle prior to that, Ms. Schrager recruited, trained, coordinated and supervised a team of NYDLC volunteer attorney poll watchers embedded within the campaign headquarters of the incumbent Congressman in the upstate New York Congressional District where she herself had run for Congress in the special election in 2009. Ms. Schrager has hosted numerous successful fundraising events at her home for Congressional candidates from around the country. A long-time Director of the New York Women’s Bar Association and its charitable foundation (dedicated to the empowerment of female lawyers, judges and litigants), Ms. Schrager is a graduate of the Harvard Law School where she was an editor-in-chief of the Harvard Women’s Law Journal.
Alejandra Pollak, Voter Protection Director
Alejandra Pollak is the New York Democrats' Voter Protection Director and Executive Director of NYDLC. Alejandra leads the state party's efforts to protect voters and improve the overall voter experience in New York.
In 2020, Alejandra managed NYDLC's volunteer export program - recruiting and managing hundreds of volunteers for remote and in-person voter protection opportunities in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Georgia. Alejandra served as a credentialed poll observer in Michigan and Georgia during the 2020 Presidential Election and 2021 Senate runoff elections.
Prior to NYDLC, Alejandra was Director of Operations of New Standard Institute where she introduced the Fashion Act in the New York State Legislature and spearheaded the Act on Fashion Coalition. She directed the initial research for the book Unraveled: The Life and Death of a Garment by Maxine Bedat, which was longlisted for the Financial Times/McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award 2021. Prior to NSI, Alejandra was Merchandising and Operations Manager of Zady - a pioneering fashion lifestyle brand recognized by Fast Company as one of the world's most innovative companies in retail.
Alejandra exercises her love of animals and passion for conservation as a global Board Member of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (Ifaw). She currently serves as Chair of the Board's Nominating Committee and led board-level development strategies as Chair of the International Development Committee.
Alejandra was born in the Dominican Republic, and is a native Spanish speaker.
COMMITTEE CHAIRS
Legislative Affairs Committee Co-Chairs: Deborah Porder and Jed Mullens
Minority Voting Rights Committee Co-Chairs: Theodore Harris and Mark Favors
Theodore Harris is an attorney who has spent his career helping the community through political activism. A graduate of Brooklyn Law School, he has used his legal expertise to help communities both locally and nationally. During President Obama's first presidential campaign, Theodore worked as a Field Organizer in Virginia in order to help secure the much-needed electoral win. His hard work did not go unnoticed. When President Obama served his first-term, Theodore was asked to join the Executive Office of the President at The White House as an Associate. Throughout his time, he conducted research and helped vet Presidential Appointees. After leaving D.C. and returning home to New York City, Theodore joined The New York Democratic Lawyers Council, where he currently works hard to fight for his community via the Minority Voting Rights committee.