NY: Local commissioner joins voting suit - Supports state against feds

[Wilms]

Local commissioner joins voting-reform suit

Supports state against feds

By Tom Grace
Cooperstown News Bureau

03/07/06

Hank Nicols wants to be sued by the federal government, which is suing New York state over its slow implementation of voting regulations and installation of equipment.

On Wednesday, the federal Justice Department sued the state in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District, prodding the state to move more quickly.

On Friday, Nicols, Otsego County’s Democratic elections commissioner, joined the League of Women Voters of New York State; New Yorkers for Verified Voting; Stephen DeWitt, Democratic elections commissioner of Tompkins County; and others in filing a memorandum with the court, asking to be included as defendants in the case.

Nicols said Monday that he is trying to intervene in this case because he is not confident that state officials will do what is best for the voters of the state.

"I think the pressure is on the state to act quickly, and I think that acting quickly now could be disastrous," he said.

Nicols, who has been an elections commissioner for 21 years, said he and DeWitt are attempting to intervene in this case as voters rather than as commissioners. He added that he discussed his decision with Otsego County’s Republican elections commissioner, Charlotte Koniuto.

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http://www.thedailystar.com/news/stories/2006/03/07/lawsuit1.html

[texpatriot2004]

1. It's about time someone took action on behalf of the voters nm

[djg21]

2. New York has never had major problems.

To implement HAVA before the Sept. 9 primary will lead to chaos at the polls.

My cynical side says that some in the highest echelons of the New York State Gov't, i.e. the Governor's Office, in the USDOJ, and in the Bush Administration want NY to have a voting catastrophe for purely tactical reasons.

[kster]

3. kick.nt