| Chris Wade | Yahoo News |
A state Supreme Court judge on Thursday signed off on an agreement between the Town of Newburgh and a group of voters who allege the town’s election system disenfranchises Black and Hispanic residents that will require it to adopt a ranked choice voting system to elect its governing board. The consent decree also requires the town to pay the six defendants collectively $1.6 million.
Broad support
Last year, a group of advocates sued Newburgh, alleging that the town’s use of an at-large method for electing the members of the Town Board violated the Voting Rights Act law “by diluting the votes of Hispanic and African-American voters.”
The lawsuit noted that the town has never elected an African American or Hispanic candidate to the council, despite the fact that they represent 14.6% and 23.6% of its population, respectively. Supporters of the voting system, which is used in Maine and several other states, say it ensures that winning candidates have broad support and gives voters the option of multiple choices.