Investigation May Invalidate Hudson Valley Election Results
A Hudson Valley legislator is looking to throw out the results of a local election after finding a long list of possible violations and irregularities.
If you live in Orange County, you may have already heard rumblings about a village election that some residents say they never even knew happened. Now, a Hudson Valley lawmaker has unveiled some disturbing allegations.
Did Blooming Grove Politicians Cross the Line?
State Senator James Skoufis says his office has spent the past month digging through complaints from South Blooming Grove residents. Many people told him they had no idea an election was even scheduled on October 22. Others alleged intimidation, missing information, and tactics that appeared designed to keep people from voting.
Skoufis says those reports immediately raised red flags. His office demanded documents from the village on October 27 under threat of subpoena. After reviewing what came back, Skoufis followed up with a second request on November 10, seeking more answers. He says he discovered a pattern of behavior that undermined a free and fair election.
A Long List of Troubling Allegations
According to the Senator, the problems started months before anyone even cast a ballot. Skoufis says village officials abruptly moved the traditional March election to October. The decision happened during a special meeting that was announced just one hour beforehand by a paper flyer posted at the village hall.
He also says the mayor and trustees are operating under questionable term lengths and that elections required in previous years never happened. State law requires timely notice of an upcoming vote, but Skoufis says the village changed its official newspaper to a weekly paper on the other side of the county. The move resulted in legally required election notices running late and out of sight of most residents.
Meeting minutes from five months’ worth of Village Board meetings were also missing from the village website. According to Skoufis, the gap began with the very meeting where the election change was first discussed. The minutes were only posted after his office started asking questions.
Even more concerning are allegations that village officials contacted selected residents, encouraged them to request absentee ballots, and then allegedly asked them to hand over their blank ballots for officials to fill out.
Residents say the village did nothing to notify the general public about the election. There were no posts on the website, emails, flyers, social media updates, automated calls or mailers of any kind.
Skoufis also says there is no recording of the meeting where the results were certified, even though state law requires one.
An Admission Caught on Tape
Perhaps the most explosive claim comes from a recorded phone call on October 24. Skoufis says a village official admitted the election date was moved to October to cut down on communication among residents connected to local yeshivas. According to Skoufis, the official said the quiet part out loud, explaining that October was chosen because the schools were closed and there was “less time for anyone to organize.”
Skoufis says this amounts to intentional voter suppression aimed at a segment of the Jewish community that has clashed with current village leadership.
What Happens Next?
Skoufis says every document his office collected is now in the hands of the New York Attorney General. He is asking the AG to take the rare step of launching a quo warranto proceeding, which would invalidate the October 22 election.
“Residents of South Blooming Grove have had enough,” Skoufis said in his statement. He called the situation unacceptable and said voters deserved a truthful accounting of what happened and the right to participate in legitimate elections.