Kamala Harris voters ‘erased' in Rockland? New York lawsuit says ‘check the paper': What we know so far
Voter reports and unusual numbers trigger alarm
Live Events
Drop-off data and statistical red flags
Why this county, why now?
Experts urge caution, not alarm
(You can now subscribe to our
(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel
A New York Supreme Court judge has allowed a lawsuit challenging the accuracy of the 2024 election results in Rockland County to move forward. The case, filed by SMART Legislation—an election integrity group—alleges that both the presidential and U.S. Senate vote counts show irregularities serious enough to warrant a full hand recount.Justice Rachel Tanguay ruled in May that the evidence raised in the suit was sufficient for the discovery process to begin. This legal step will allow plaintiffs to subpoena records, question election officials under oath, and analyse original paper ballots. The lawsuit names SMART Legislation , the advocacy wing of SMART Elections , as the lead plaintiff.The core of the lawsuit revolves around vote totals that, on paper, do not match what voters say happened at the polls. In some districts, hundreds of people reportedly voted for Democratic candidates like Senator Kirsten Gillibrand but not for Kamala Harris , the Democratic presidential nominee. In several of these same districts, Harris received zero votes.Nine voters in District 39 swore in affidavits that they had voted for independent U.S. Senate candidate Diane Sare. The Rockland County Board of Elections recorded only five such votes. In District 62, five voters reported casting ballots for Sare, but only three were counted."This is a nearly 50% shortfall in one case," said Lulu Friesdat, founder and executive director of SMART Legislation. "There is clear evidence that the Senate results are incorrect, and there are statistical indications that the presidential results are highly unlikely. If the results are incorrect, it is a violation of the constitutional rights of each person who voted in the 2024 Rockland County general election."Another key focus of the lawsuit is the "drop-off rate"—a term used to describe when voters cast a ballot for one race but leave others blank or vote across party lines.A drop-off of 1–2% is considered normal. In Rockland County, however, analysts found figures that were anything but. Harris received 9% fewer votes than Gillibrand—a negative drop-off rate—while Donald Trump received 23% more votes than the Republican Senate candidate.These numbers are statistically rare. According to Max Bonamente, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, 'These data would require extreme sociological or political causes for their explanation, and would benefit from further assurances as to their fidelity.'Bonamente, who authored Statistics and Analysis of Scientific Data, will publish a forthcoming paper based on the Rockland data. His findings suggest that the results in four of the five towns in the county are 'statistically highly unlikely' compared with data from 2020.Though election anomalies have been reported elsewhere, Rockland is the first county where they are being formally challenged in court. Similar issues surfaced in Clark County, Nevada and parts of Pennsylvania, where bomb threats and machine malfunctions disrupted voting.What makes Rockland stand out is the level of documentation and voter testimony. Beyond the affidavits, many Democrats in the area have reported being turned away from polling places, being told they had already voted, or checking ballot tracking systems only to find their vote was marked as 'not cast.'Friesdat emphasised the need for a transparent recount: 'The best way to determine if the results are correct is to examine the paper ballots in a full public, transparent hand recount of all presidential and Senate ballots in Rockland County. We believe it's vitally important, especially in the current environment, to be absolutely confident about the results of the election.'Costas Panagopoulos, a political science professor at Northeastern University, welcomed scrutiny but urged against assuming foul play.'Statistical irregularities in elections should always be investigated, but the sources of such inconsistencies, which can include error or miscalculation, are not always nefarious,' he said. 'Scrutinising election results can strengthen confidence in elections. Mistakes can happen.'He added: 'In any case, it does not appear that any of these inconsistencies would be sufficient to change the outcomes of any of the elections in question in New York state. That does not mean they should not be scrutinised.'A court hearing has been scheduled for 22 September. Plaintiffs are expected to request a manual recount of every presidential and Senate ballot cast in Rockland County. Depositions and forensic analysis of voting systems may also follow.While the lawsuit cannot overturn certified results, it may expose deeper vulnerabilities in local election systems—and prompt reforms ahead of future elections. As Friesdat put it, 'It's about protecting each voter's voice, and ensuring the vote they cast is the vote that counts.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
‘Apologise right now': Rep. Fallon snaps at Dem Gov. Tim Walz for comparing ICE agents to 'Gestapo' - The Economic Times Video
Tensions exploded during a fiery House Oversight hearing as Rep. Pat Fallon demanded an apology from Minnesota Governor Tim Walz for previously comparing ICE agents to the 'Gestapo.' The hearing, originally scheduled to address sanctuary city policies, came just days after violent clashes erupted in downtown Los Angeles. Governors Tim Walz (MN), Kathy Hochul (NY), and JB Pritzker (IL) were all called to testify, facing intense scrutiny from Republican lawmakers over their immigration stances and sanctuary policies.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
2 hours ago
- Business Standard
200 Marines moved into Los Angeles to protect federal property, personnel
After a week of tense protests over the federal immigration raids, about 200 Marines have moved into Los Angeles and will protect federal property and personnel, a military commander said Friday. Maj Gen Scott Sherman, commander of Task Force 51 who is overseeing the 4,700 troops deployed, said Friday that the Marines have finished training on civil disturbance. Sherman said the Marines would take over operations at noon local time at the federal building in downtown Los Angeles. 'I would like to emphasize that the soldiers will not participate in law enforcement activities. Rather, they'll be focused on protecting federal law enforcement personnel,' Sherman said. The development comes a day after the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily blocked a federal judge's order that had directed President Donald Trump to return control of National Guard troops to California, shortly after a federal judge had ruled the Guard deployment was illegal and both violated the Tenth Amendment and exceeded Trump's statutory authority. The Marines will join some 2,000 National Guard troops that have been on the streets of the city since last week when immigration raids set off protests. Over the past three nights the demonstrations have been largely peaceful with only a handful of arrests mostly due to people failing to disperse. California Gov Gavin Newsom has called the troop deployment a 'serious breach of state sovereignty' and a power grab by Trump, and he has gone to court to stop it. The president has cited a legal provision that allows him to mobilise federal service members when there is 'a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States'. Under the Posse Comitatus Act, active-duty forces are prohibited by law from conducting law enforcement. Sherman said the National Guard soldiers at that location will transition to provide protection to federal law enforcement agents but not participate in law enforcement activities. Sherman said the US Marine Corps is responsible for guarding US embassies overseas so they are well-trained on how to defend a federal building. Some National Guard troops have protected immigration agents making arrests but Sherman said 'we have had no soldier or Marine detain anyone'. The National Guard troops that were protecting federal property will transition to providing protection to more federal law enforcement officials, Sherman said. States face questions on deploying troops With more demonstrations expected over the weekend, and the possibility that Trump could send troops to other states for immigration enforcement, governors are weighing what to do. Texas Gov Greg Abbott, a Republican, has put 5,000 National Guard members on standby in cities where demonstrations are planned. In other Republican-controlled states, governors have not said when or how they may deploy troops. A group of Democratic governors earlier signed a statement this week calling Trump's deployments 'an alarming abuse of power'. Hundreds arrested in LA protests There have been about 470 arrests since Saturday, the vast majority of which were for failing to leave the area at the request of law enforcement, according to the police department. There have been a handful of more serious charges, including for assault against officers and for possession of a Molotov cocktail and a gun. Nine officers have been hurt, mostly with minor injuries.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
China denies double standards in fighting terrorism due to its close ties with Pakistan
China on Friday rejected any ambiguity or double standards on its part in combating terrorism due to close ties with Pakistan, saying that fighting the menace is the common responsibility of the international community. "Let me stress that China's position on fighting terrorism is consistent and clear," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a media briefing here. "Terrorism is humanity's common enemy, and combating terrorism is the common responsibility of the international community," Lin said. He said China is committed to safeguarding international and regional peace and tranquility, and to firmly combating all forms of terrorism. "There is no so-called ambiguity or double standards," he said. Live Events Lin was reacting to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's recent comments in an interview with the French newspaper, Le Figaro. Jaishankar, while replying to a question on India's firm stand against terrorism in the context of the recent Pahalgam terror attack and China's support to Pakistan, said, "They have had close ties for decades". "But on an issue like terrorism, you cannot afford ambiguity or double standards. In the end, it's a problem that concerns all of us," Jaishankar said in the interview. Lin said current China-India relations are at a crucial stage of improvement and development. "We hope India will work with us to earnestly implement the important common understandings reached between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in their meeting in Kazan last October, and move bilateral relations forward on a sound and steady track," he said. Lin's comments came as Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong, the former Chinese Ambassador to India and Beijing's point man on South Asia, is on a two-day visit to New Delhi from Thursday. This is the first high-level Chinese official's visit to India after the Pahalgam terror attack and the subsequent India-Pakistan conflict last month during which India carried out precision strikes deep inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, targeting terror infrastructure. While replying to a question on the reports that India has agreed to expedite the resumption of direct flights between the two countries, Lin said the resumption of direct flights is conducive to ensuring cross-border travel, exchanges and cooperation between China and India, which is in the interest of the two sides. "China is positive toward it. We hope India will work with us to resume flights as soon as possible and ensure safe and orderly mutual visits between the two countries," he said. Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
