The Place Where Ludington Talks
1 Person, 6 Votes?
How does 1 person with
the power of 6 votes sound to you? Well it's happened in NY state. In a
community that has a large hispanic community, many that are illegal,
there seemed to be an issue in that with such a large hispanic
community, none have ever been elected. So a Federal Judge decided that
broke the fair voting act and gave each hispanic 6 votes.
Obviously this is a travesty. 1 person, 1 vote has for the most part
worked well for over 225 years. A person that is here illegally has no
right to vote, nor does another person have a right to the illegal
persons vote. If the hispanics in the NY community really want some
representation, then they need to first get people that are legal to
register to vote and then make sure that they actually vote. They also
need to find candidates that will represent them in the way they would
like to be represented.
Thankfully, it appears that there are many left leaning people that
don't agree with this practice judging by the responses in the comments
section for this story that was on the Huffington Post.
Anyhow, here's the story:
Port Chester Election: New York Villagers Get SIX VOTES Each
PORT CHESTER, N.Y. — Arthur Furano voted early – five days before
Election Day. And he voted often, flipping the lever six times for his
favorite candidate. Furano cast multiple votes on the instructions of a
federal judge and the U.S. Department of Justice as part of a new
election system crafted to help boost Hispanic representation.
Voters in Port Chester, 25 miles northeast of New York City, are
electing village trustees for the first time since the federal
government alleged in 2006 that the existing election system was unfair.
The election ends Tuesday and results are expected late Tuesday.
Although the village of about 30,000 residents is nearly half Hispanic,
no Latino had ever been elected to any of the six trustee seats, which
until now were chosen in a conventional at-large election. Most voters
were white, and white candidates always won.
Federal Judge Stephen Robinson said that violated the Voting Rights Act,
and he approved a remedy suggested by village officials: a system
called cumulative voting, in which residents get six votes each to
apportion as they wish among the candidates. He rejected a government
proposal to break the village into six districts, including one that
took in heavily Hispanic areas.
Furano and his wife, Gloria Furano, voted Thursday.
"That was very strange," Arthur Furano, 80, said after voting. "I'm not
sure I liked it. All my life, I've heard, `one man, one vote.'"
It's the first time any municipality in New York has used cumulative
voting, said Amy Ngai, a director at FairVote, a nonprofit election
research and reform group that has been hired to consult. The system is
used to elect the school board in Amarillo, Texas, the county commission
in Chilton County, Ala., and the City Council in Peoria, Ill.
The judge also ordered Port Chester to implement in-person early voting,
allowing residents to show up on any of five days to cast ballots.
That, too, is a first in New York, Ngai said.
Village clerk Joan Mancuso said Monday that 604 residents voted early.
Gloria Furano gave one vote each to six candidates. Aaron Conetta gave
two votes each to three candidates.
Frances Nurena talked to the inspectors about the new system, grabbed
some educational material and went home to study. After all, it was only
Thursday. She could vote on Friday, Saturday or Tuesday.
"I understand the voting," she said. "But since I have time, I'm going
to learn more about the candidates."
On Tuesday, Candida Sandoval voted at the Don Bosco Center, where a soup
kitchen and day-laborer hiring center added to the activity, and where
federal observers watched the voting from a table in the corner.
"I hope that if Hispanics get in, they do something for all the Hispanic
people," Sandoval said in Spanish. "I don't know, but I hope so."
FairVote said cumulative voting allows a political minority to gain
representation if it organizes and focuses its voting strength on
specific candidates. Two of the 13 Port Chester trustee candidates – one
Democrat and one Republican – are Hispanic. A third Hispanic is running
a write-in campaign after being taken off the ballot on a technicality.
Campaigning was generally low key, and the election itself was less of
an issue than housing density and taxes.
Hispanic candidates Fabiola Montoya and Luis Marino emphasized their
volunteer work and said they would represent all residents if elected.
Gregg Gregory gave all his votes to one candidate, then said: "I think
this is terrific. It's good for Port Chester. It opens it up to a lot
more people, not just Hispanics but independents, too."
Vote coordinator Martha Lopez said that if turnout is higher than in
recent years, when it hovered around 25 percent, the election would be a
success – regardless of whether a Hispanic was elected.
"I think we'll make it," she said. "I'm happy to report the people seem
very interested."
But Randolph McLaughlin, who represented a plaintiff in the lawsuit,
said the goal was not merely to encourage more Hispanics to vote but "to
create a system whereby the Hispanic community would be able to
nominate and elect a candidate of their choice."
That could be a non-Hispanic, he acknowledged, and until exit polling is
done, "it won't be known for sure whether the winners were
Hispanic-preferred."
The village held 12 forums – six each in English and Spanish – to let
voters know about the new system and to practice voting. The bilingual
ballot lists each candidate across the top row – some of them twice if
they have two party lines – and then the same candidates are listed five
more times. In all, there are 114 levers; voters can flip any six.
Besides the forums, bright yellow T-shirts, tote bags and lawn signs
declared "Your voice, your vote, your village," part of the educational
materials also mandated in the government agreement. Announcements were
made on cable TV in each language.
All such materials – the ballot, the brochures, the TV spots, the
reminders sent home in schoolkids' backpacks – had to be approved in
advance, in English and Spanish versions, by the Department of Justice.
Conetta said the voter education effort was so thorough he found voting
easier than usual.
"It was very different but actually quite simple," he said. "No
problem."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/15/port-chester-election-new_...
the power of 6 votes sound to you? Well it's happened in NY state. In a
community that has a large hispanic community, many that are illegal,
there seemed to be an issue in that with such a large hispanic
community, none have ever been elected. So a Federal Judge decided that
broke the fair voting act and gave each hispanic 6 votes.
Obviously this is a travesty. 1 person, 1 vote has for the most part
worked well for over 225 years. A person that is here illegally has no
right to vote, nor does another person have a right to the illegal
persons vote. If the hispanics in the NY community really want some
representation, then they need to first get people that are legal to
register to vote and then make sure that they actually vote. They also
need to find candidates that will represent them in the way they would
like to be represented.
Thankfully, it appears that there are many left leaning people that
don't agree with this practice judging by the responses in the comments
section for this story that was on the Huffington Post.
Anyhow, here's the story:
Port Chester Election: New York Villagers Get SIX VOTES Each
PORT CHESTER, N.Y. — Arthur Furano voted early – five days before
Election Day. And he voted often, flipping the lever six times for his
favorite candidate. Furano cast multiple votes on the instructions of a
federal judge and the U.S. Department of Justice as part of a new
election system crafted to help boost Hispanic representation.
Voters in Port Chester, 25 miles northeast of New York City, are
electing village trustees for the first time since the federal
government alleged in 2006 that the existing election system was unfair.
The election ends Tuesday and results are expected late Tuesday.
Although the village of about 30,000 residents is nearly half Hispanic,
no Latino had ever been elected to any of the six trustee seats, which
until now were chosen in a conventional at-large election. Most voters
were white, and white candidates always won.
Federal Judge Stephen Robinson said that violated the Voting Rights Act,
and he approved a remedy suggested by village officials: a system
called cumulative voting, in which residents get six votes each to
apportion as they wish among the candidates. He rejected a government
proposal to break the village into six districts, including one that
took in heavily Hispanic areas.
Furano and his wife, Gloria Furano, voted Thursday.
"That was very strange," Arthur Furano, 80, said after voting. "I'm not
sure I liked it. All my life, I've heard, `one man, one vote.'"
It's the first time any municipality in New York has used cumulative
voting, said Amy Ngai, a director at FairVote, a nonprofit election
research and reform group that has been hired to consult. The system is
used to elect the school board in Amarillo, Texas, the county commission
in Chilton County, Ala., and the City Council in Peoria, Ill.
The judge also ordered Port Chester to implement in-person early voting,
allowing residents to show up on any of five days to cast ballots.
That, too, is a first in New York, Ngai said.
Village clerk Joan Mancuso said Monday that 604 residents voted early.
Gloria Furano gave one vote each to six candidates. Aaron Conetta gave
two votes each to three candidates.
Frances Nurena talked to the inspectors about the new system, grabbed
some educational material and went home to study. After all, it was only
Thursday. She could vote on Friday, Saturday or Tuesday.
"I understand the voting," she said. "But since I have time, I'm going
to learn more about the candidates."
On Tuesday, Candida Sandoval voted at the Don Bosco Center, where a soup
kitchen and day-laborer hiring center added to the activity, and where
federal observers watched the voting from a table in the corner.
"I hope that if Hispanics get in, they do something for all the Hispanic
people," Sandoval said in Spanish. "I don't know, but I hope so."
FairVote said cumulative voting allows a political minority to gain
representation if it organizes and focuses its voting strength on
specific candidates. Two of the 13 Port Chester trustee candidates – one
Democrat and one Republican – are Hispanic. A third Hispanic is running
a write-in campaign after being taken off the ballot on a technicality.
Campaigning was generally low key, and the election itself was less of
an issue than housing density and taxes.
Hispanic candidates Fabiola Montoya and Luis Marino emphasized their
volunteer work and said they would represent all residents if elected.
Gregg Gregory gave all his votes to one candidate, then said: "I think
this is terrific. It's good for Port Chester. It opens it up to a lot
more people, not just Hispanics but independents, too."
Vote coordinator Martha Lopez said that if turnout is higher than in
recent years, when it hovered around 25 percent, the election would be a
success – regardless of whether a Hispanic was elected.
"I think we'll make it," she said. "I'm happy to report the people seem
very interested."
But Randolph McLaughlin, who represented a plaintiff in the lawsuit,
said the goal was not merely to encourage more Hispanics to vote but "to
create a system whereby the Hispanic community would be able to
nominate and elect a candidate of their choice."
That could be a non-Hispanic, he acknowledged, and until exit polling is
done, "it won't be known for sure whether the winners were
Hispanic-preferred."
The village held 12 forums – six each in English and Spanish – to let
voters know about the new system and to practice voting. The bilingual
ballot lists each candidate across the top row – some of them twice if
they have two party lines – and then the same candidates are listed five
more times. In all, there are 114 levers; voters can flip any six.
Besides the forums, bright yellow T-shirts, tote bags and lawn signs
declared "Your voice, your vote, your village," part of the educational
materials also mandated in the government agreement. Announcements were
made on cable TV in each language.
All such materials – the ballot, the brochures, the TV spots, the
reminders sent home in schoolkids' backpacks – had to be approved in
advance, in English and Spanish versions, by the Department of Justice.
Conetta said the voter education effort was so thorough he found voting
easier than usual.
"It was very different but actually quite simple," he said. "No
problem."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/15/port-chester-election-new_...
Views: 55
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Mary A. on
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I read this on LT, too. What I don't understand is why there are no protests against this sort of thing. As a nation, we are becoming complacent, allowing these violations to occur. What's happening to our national pride?
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Permalink Reply by Willy on
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If this type of thing was being promoted by a special interest group it would be bad enough but this is being promoted by the Government. This is total insanity. Even liberals and progressives should be up in arms about this. Why is this not being challenged in court? This is not how this country is supposed to be operating.
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