Residents get 6 votes each in suburban NY election

[babylonsister]

Residents get 6 votes each in suburban NY election

By JIM FITZGERALD
Associated Press Writer


PORT CHESTER, N.Y. (AP) -- 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.

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.'"

more...

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_VOTING_RIGHTS_ELECTION?SITE=CONGRA&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[Scuba]

1. Voting for six offices, cast six votes. Nothing strange about that.

[babylonsister]

2. Have you ever been able to vote for one person 6 times? From the article...

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."

And PS, I haven't.

[Scuba]

3. You're right. I've never seen that before. Thanks for the 'catch'.