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The Town of Newburgh has reached a settlement in a lawsuit brought under the New York Voting Rights Act (NYVRA), avoiding a court battle that had been scheduled for this week in state court in White Plains.
According to Mid-Hudson News, six Newburgh voters filed the case, arguing that the town's five-member board — elected entirely at-large — dilutes the voting power of Black and Hispanic residents. Together, those groups make up roughly 40 percent of the town's population, with Black residents accounting for about 15 percent and Hispanic residents about 25 percent.
The plaintiffs contended that the at-large system made it difficult for those communities to elect a candidate of their choice. Under the settlement, the town will shift from a pure at-large election system to a ranked-choice voting system — a smaller change than the ward-based system the plaintiffs had originally sought.
Town Supervisor Gil Piaquadio said the move to ranked-choice voting preserves the principle that every board member represents all residents of the town, not just those in a specific district. He pointed to the November election of Mary McLymore — the only Black candidate on the ballot — who won her town board seat with the most votes of any candidate, as evidence that the at-large system was working.
"This is evidence that the town was correct to defend itself to keep the at-large system, and there was no reason to change to a ward system," Piaquadio said.
The case is part of a broader legal landscape shaped by the NYVRA, which the New York Appellate Court recently upheld as constitutional in a ruling that reversed a lower court decision. The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), LatinoJustice PRLDEF, and the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund issued a joint statement praising the appellate ruling.
"The NYVRA is one of the strongest, most comprehensive voting rights laws in the nation," the groups said. "From protecting all New Yorkers against voter intimidation and racial vote dilution to expanding language assistance, the NYVRA transformed New York's voting rights landscape — making it easier for all New Yorkers to cast their ballots."
The NYVRA is one of several state-level voting rights laws passed in recent years. According to the Campaign Legal Center, states including California, Oregon, Virginia, Connecticut, Washington, Minnesota, and Colorado have all enacted their own voting rights laws since 2001, largely in response to the weakening of federal voting protections by the U.S. Supreme Court.
With the settlement now in place, the town is expected to implement the ranked-choice voting system ahead of future town board elections. No timeline for that transition has been publicly announced.