Judge warns New York to comply with voting law
December 23rd, 2007
From the Associated Press in Newsday, New York Times:
A federal judge is giving New York until Jan. 4 to develop a timeline for how it will comply with a federal election law to make voting more accurate and more accessible to the disabled.
U.S. District Court Judge Gary Sharpe spent much of a court hearing expressing his frustration with what he described as the state’s paralysis and failure to meet the requirements of the Help America Vote Act while every other state took action. He reminded officials several times he could jail members of the state Board of Elections for contempt of court.
“Why is it that New York thinks it can thumb its nose at the federal government?” Sharpe asked.
It’s the latest extension in a federal lawsuit that was filed in 2006. The state has had 18 months to come into compliance, Sharpe said.
“If New York is so concerned about its disabled voters, why has it sat on its hands since 2006?” he said.


