Comment: It’s not the candidate that lost here, but the 2400 voters whose applications were not processed, and all the voters who will never know if their ballots were accurately counted by the scanners.
Allegra Dengler
Syracuse: "“I hope some higher authority comes in and investigates what I think is a massive disenfranchisement of voters in the district,” Brindisi told syracuse.com in his first interview since conceding the election….“I hope the state investigates because there were clear violations of state and federal election laws,” Brindisi said. “The most fundamental right of Americans is the right to vote, and they were denied that by the incompetence of the Oneida County Board of Elections….Brindisi said he’s confident that he would have prevailed in the election if his request had been granted for a full, manual hand count of all ballots….DelConte denied that request. Brindisi’s last option would have been to ask the House of Representatives to intervene and conduct a recount under the Federal Contested Elections Act.”
https://www.syracuse.com/politics/2021/02/brindisi-new-york-should-investigate-massive-disenfranchisement-of-voters.html
• Politics & Elections
Brindisi: New York should investigate ‘massive disenfranchisement of voters’
Updated Feb 09, 2021; Posted Feb 09, 2021
By Mark Weiner | mweiner@syracuse.com
Former Rep. Anthony Brindisi said today that he conceded a disputed election to Claudia Tenney to spare the 22nd Congressional District from a months-long battle that could further divide the community.
But Brindisi also called for authorities to investigate irregularities and other systemic voting problems exposed in a three-month legal fight over ballots cast in eight counties across Upstate New York.
“I hope some higher authority comes in and investigates what I think is a massive disenfranchisement of voters in the district,” Brindisi told syracuse.com in his first interview since conceding the election.
The Utica Democrat said he would like to see the New York attorney general, state lawmakers and the U.S. Department of Justice launch independent probes that focus on the Oneida County Board of Elections.
The county’s lawyers admitted in state Supreme Court that election officials failed to process more than 2,400 applications from residents who properly registered to vote in the election through the state Department of Motor Vehicles.
Brindisi said it may never be known how many of those voters simply walked away from polling sites – without filing an affidavit ballot – because they were told they’re not registered.
“I hope the state investigates because there were clear violations of state and federal election laws,” Brindisi said. “The most fundamental right of Americans is the right to vote, and they were denied that by the incompetence of the Oneida County Board of Elections.”
The judge who presided over the disputed election seemed to agree with Brindisi when he ordered counties in the district to certify Tenney as the winner by 109 votes.
State Supreme Court Justice Scott DelConte criticized local elections boards for “systemic violations of state and federal election law” that affected both candidates.
DelConte said in his ruling that it’s not the court’s role to fix those errors, noting it’s up to New York state officials and the U.S. Justice Department to decide if they want to look into the matter.
Brindisi said he thinks the errors, mishandling of ballots and other irregularities exposed in the court case are probably worse than what’s publicly known.
He’s also concerned about the way in which officials from the Oneida County Board of Elections explained their failure to process voter registrations, blaming a lack of time and staff to handle the backlog.
“What really upsets me is that I really saw no remorse from the Oneida County Board of Elections,” Brindisi said. “It’s like they were saying, ‘Oh, we just never got to it.’ "
Asked if Oneida County election commissioners Carolann Cardone and Rose Grimaldi should be fired over their handling of the election, Brindisi said, “I think they need to be held accountable. I don’t see how you can deny so many people the right to vote and walk away without any repercussions.”
Cardone, a Democrat, and Grimaldi, a Republican, were recently re-appointed to two-year terms.
Brindisi said he’s confident that he would have prevailed in the election if his request had been granted for a full, manual hand count of all ballots.
DelConte denied that request. Brindisi’s last option would have been to ask the House of Representatives to intervene and conduct a recount under the Federal Contested Elections Act.
In that case, the House and the independent U.S. General Accountability Office would have likely ordered all eight counties in the 22nd District to send their ballots to Washington, Brindisi said.
He said it would have been a lengthy process, taking three months or more before a winner would be declared.
“It was just going to be a very long process and further divide the community here,” Brindisi said. “I felt it was better to put the interests of the district first and concede so we had representation in Washington.”
Brindisi said the false accusations of widespread voter fraud made by former president Donald Trump – culminating with a mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 – factored into his decision not to prolong the last undecided House race in the nation.
“I definitely feel that people have had their fill of contested elections, given what the country has been through with the presidential election,” he said.
Brindisi said he will go back to practicing law in the short term while deciding what to do with his future.
He filed paperwork last month with the Federal Election Commission to declare his candidacy for the 2022 House election, as did Tenney. The paperwork allows the candidates to continue raising money for a campaign.
“I’m going to take some time to regroup,” Brindisi said. “I certainly have not ruled anything off the table yet. But right now, things are a little too raw and early for me to decide.”
Brindisi said he has not been approached by President Joe Biden or his representatives about taking a post in the new administration.
Oneida County elections commissioners resign after NY-22 mistakes
Updated Feb 16, 2021; Posted Feb 16, 2021
Oneida County election commissioners Carolanne Cardone, right in cat mask, and Rose Grimaldi testify in November 2020 about how sticky notes with important information might have fallen off ballots in the 22nd Congressional District race.
By Mark Weiner | mweiner@syracuse.com
Oneida County’s two elections commissioners have decided to resign from their jobs amid mounting pressure over a series of mistakes in the 22nd Congressional District election.
Carolanne Cardone, the Democratic elections commissioner, submitted her resignation on Tuesday, Oneida County Legislature Chairman Gerald Fiorini said today.
Rose Grimaldi, the Republican elections commissioner, plans to submit her resignation on Wednesday, Fiorini said.
Both commissioners received a letter this week requesting their resignations from the state Board of Elections in Albany. Otherwise, the state board would have asked Gov. Andrew Cuomo to fire them, Fiorini told syracuse.com.
Cardone and Grimaldi did not respond to requests for comment.
Former Rep. Anthony Brindisi, D-Utica, has called for an independent investigation of the Oneida County Board of Elections after a series of errors and other problems were exposed during a three-month legal battle over dispute ballots in the election.
Brindisi conceded to Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-New Hartford, last week, saying he didn’t want to continue a months-long battle that could further divide the community.
Brindisi and voting rights advocates were outraged after Oneida County election clerks revealed in court that they failed to process more than 2,400 applications from new voters who had properly registered at the state Department of Motor Vehicles.
When asked last week if he thought the Oneida County commissioners should be fired, Brindisi told syracuse.com, “I think they need to be held accountable. I don’t see how you can deny so many people the right to vote and walk away without any repercussions.”
Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente, a Republican, had also asked the governor to fire the two commissioners, citing their “abject failure” in the congressional election. The commissioners are political appointees who serve two-year terms. Cardone and Grimaldi had been appointed to new terms after the election.