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Lawsuit: N.Y. village voting favors whites(UPI Top Stories Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) The U.S. Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against a suburban New York village, charging its at-large voting system illegally limits Hispanic influence. The suit contends the Port Chester, N.Y., system violates the Voting Rights Act. The right to vote is the bedrock of our government, U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia said in a statement. The at-large system of electing Port Chester's board of trustees dilutes the votes of Port Chester's minority citizens and undermines democracy. The suit could scuttle board of trustees elections in March, The New York Times reports. Mayor Gerald Logan criticized the lawsuit as unfortunate and heavy-handed. The village's at-large system -- in which all residents vote for each member of the board of trustees -- encourages majority white-bloc voting that prevents minority Hispanic voters from electing their preferred candidates, the suit charges. The government notes more than 46 percent of the village's population and 21.9 percent of its voting-age citizens are Hispanic. Still, no Hispanic person has been elected to public office in the village. Copyright 2006 United Press International |