On June 15th the village of Port Chester, NY will become the first community in the state to elect its representative body through a semi-proportional system of elections known as “cumulative voting.” The reforms include a bi-lingual voter education campaign and “early voting,” a process allowing voters to cast ballots up to a week before Election Day.

These changes are the result of a court ruling which found that the old system limited the collective ability of Port Chester’s Hispanic community to elect a candidate, thus violating the federal Voting Rights Act. Other communities currently using cumulative voting include Amarillo, TX, Chilton County, AL, and Peoria, IL.

Port Chester Launches Education Effort on Cumulative Voting
Port Chester’s Election Website
New election system takes place in Port Chester
Voting Rights Act Information
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