Federal judge selects cumulative voting to protect Hispanics’ rights in NY village’s elections

NY village gets new voting rules to aid Hispanics

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — A federal judge is imposing an unusual election system on a New York village after finding the existing system was unfair to Hispanics.

Under the new system, residents may cast as many as six votes for one candidate.

The ruling could mean that the village of Port Chester, 25 miles northeast of New York City, will have trustee elections next year for the first time since 2006.

All six trustee positions would be at stake in each election and voters would have six votes each. A voter could cast six votes for one candidate, one for each of six candidates or any other combination.

The judge had ruled last year that the existing at-large system violated the Voting Rights Act. No Hispanic had ever been elected in Port Chester.