Breaking News:
Too much fraud going on in Ramapo ...so Judge impounds all ballots.... and says no results until Ocober 10..
Too much fraud going on in Ramapo ...so Judge impounds all ballots.... and says no results until Ocober 10..
Amid petitions filed by local activists over absentee ballot deadlines and chaos at multiple polling stations over who was, in fact, allowed to vote, a New York state Supreme Court Justice ordered that all ballots in Tuesday’s referendum election in Ramapo be impounded until the court has had time to sift through legalities.
LOHUD.com (http://lohud.us/1vsbXg7) reports that Justice Margaret Garvey issued the order following a chaotic day in Ramapo that saw a heavy voter turnout in the town in the election that could swing the power and size of the Town Board.
Voters were being asked to decide on whether the Town Board should be increased from 4 to 6 members, and if they were in favor of dividing the town into 6 wards, a proposal that as drawn sharp criticism from the town’s Orthodox Jewish and African American communities.
The controversy began on Monday when it became clear that unregistered voters 18 or older would be allowed to vote as long as they could prove U.S. and local residency.
This action caused local activists Michael Perietti and Robert Romanowski to not only file a petition with the court seeking clarification, but to ask as well that the court clarify the cutoff date for absentee ballots.
Typically, absentee ballots are counted as long as the they are postmarked the day before the election.
In this case, election administrator, Town Clerk Christian Sampson announced prior to the election that only absentee ballots arriving at the Town Clerk’s office by 5 p.m. on Tuesday would be counted.
In accordance with Garvey’s order, all ballots have been transferred to the Rockland County Board of Elections until the court has a chance to rule on the petitions.
