Mike Yacubich Thrown Of GOP Primary Ballot In 2nd Assembly District While Felder’s Opponent Stays on

In Newsday, David M. Schwartz reports that “Republican Assembly hopeful Mike Yacubich filed a lawsuit last week to overturn a decision by the Suffolk County Board of Elections that removed him from the primary ballot against Assemb. Anthony H. Palumbo (R-New Suffolk).

Yacubich gathered signatures to qualify for the September primary as “Mike Yacubich,” listing his Shoreham address. But both Michael B. Yacubich, the candidate, and Michael V. Yacubich, his son, are registered to vote at the address.”

In Brooklyn,  Kings County Politics’ Stephen Witt reports on similar story with a different ending, “It wasn’t exactly the trial of the century, but it was the litigation of the Brooklyn state election season.

That after State Supreme Court Edgar G. Walker ruled this week that Lawrence Blake Morris was not trying to deceive anybody when he collected signatures to get on the Democratic Party ballot under the name Blake Morris in the upcoming 17th Senate District primary against State Sen. Simcha Felder (D-Midwood, Flatbush, Borough Park, Kensington, Sunset Park, Madison, Bensonhurst).”

 

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Board Of Elections Reins In Enforcement Counsel

From State of Politics’ Nick Reisman “The state Board of Elections voted Wednesday to scale back the power of Risa Sugarman, the enforcement counsel who is in charge of investigating campaign finance law violations.

The rules adopted by the Board of Elections give the board’s Republican and Democratic commissioners oversight of subpoenas issued by Sugarman’s office. And the board is setting a six month time limit on investigations.”

Cuomo, GOP Leaders Silent On Controversial Election Rules

Chris Bragg reports in the Times Union: ” On Wednesday, the politically appointed commissioners of the state Board of Elections are likely to vote on rules carrying a major impact on enforcement of New York election laws.

The response of leading state Democrats and Republicans? Mostly crickets.

Ahead of the Wednesday meeting of the Board of Elections, the Times Union reached out to three leading state Democrats about the proposed new rules: Gov. Andrew Cuomo, state Democratic party chair Byron Brown and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie.”

Dutchess County Democrat Challenges Independent Congressional Bids

From David Lombardo at the Times Union:  “A donor to Democratic congressional candidate Antonio Delgado has filed general objections to the petitions filed by three independent candidates in the race.

The petitions filed in the 19th Congressional District, which is represented by freshman Republican John Faso, were challenged by Rima Liscum, a member of the Rhinebeck Democratic Committee. The petitions were filed by actress Diane Neal, on the “Friends of Diane Neal” line, Dal LaMagna, on the “Hudson Valley Happiness” line, and Luisa Parker, on the “Making the Impossible” line.

Editorial: Cayuga County Legislators Should Prioritize Redistricting

From an editorial in the Auburn Citizen: “On a legislative body, that concept makes sense for arriving at collective decisions in a fair and equitable manner. And we suspect that if you polled the 15 members of the Cayuga County Legislature, most would agree with the idea.

But despite decades of opportunities to work toward the equal districts concept, Cayuga County residents remain stuck with a weighted vote system that spreads out a wide range of voting power among the individual elected legislators.”

This debate should focus on whether the weighted voting districts violate the one-person/one vote standard.

Felder Seeks To Remove Morris From Ballot For Using Fake Name

Stephen Witt reports in Kings County Politics: “What’s in a name? Everything if your name is Lawrence B. Morris, Lawrence Blake Morris, L. Blake Morris or just plain old Blake Morris.

And it will be up to a State Supreme Court judge on which is Morris’ real name. The decision will determine whether using the name Blake Morris on his nominating petitions, can constitute him being kicked off the Democratic ballot for the upcoming state primary, in which he is challenging State Sen. Simcha Felder (D) in the 17th Senate District.”

Former I.D.C. Senators Are Ordered To Return Campaign Money

From the NY Times’ Jesse McKinley, “The state’s top election enforcement officer has demanded that the former members of a group of rogue Democratic state senators return hundreds of thousands of dollars in political donations, less than two months before they face stiff primary challenges.”