Lee Zeldin

Lee Zeldin is stepping back from running to chair the Republican National Committee.

Zeldin said in a statement that he is falling short of a needed majority to defeat current chair, Ronna McDaniel.

McDaniel has been serving as the RNC Chair since 2017.

Zeldin, who is a Long Island congressman and was the 2022 Republican nominee for New York governor, urged party officials to select a new leader after a disappointing midterm result for Republicans in Congress.

Zeldin lost the race for governor this year against incumbent Democrat Kathy Hochul. But the race was the closest gubernatorial contest in decades in Democratic-heavy New York.

23rd Congressional District Representative Joe Sempolinski said he was disappointed that Zeldin withdrew from running for the seat, “I think the world of Mr. Zeldin. I think he would have been an excellent RNC chairman. Basically, we could have done better in the midterms. We could have done better in other elections that have occurred. And so, I think having somebody put their name forward, saying, ‘Hey, maybe we should go in a different direction. Maybe we should have a different choice. Maybe we should present options to the RNC committee members,’ would have been wonderful. I certainly think this is not the last we have heard from Lee Zeldin.”

Zeldin was held up as a model by some in the party as an example of how the GOP can compete in suburban areas of the country.

He was also credited with having unusually strong coattails that enabled down-ballot Republican victories in Congress.

Joe Sempolinski, Nick Langworthy

Congressman Joe Sempolinski said Nick Langworthy is a good fit for the new 23rd Congressional District.

Sempolinski said being a former Congressional District Director is the best preparation someone can have to becoming a member of Congress, “And one thing Mr. Langworthy and I have in common is he is a former Congressional District Director. He has worked in that capacity for previous members of Congress and I think that will put him into be doing a job that is focused on the people of the new 23rd district.”

Sempolinski, who is representing the current 23rd Congressional District, said he’s been in contact with two members-elect and the sitting member whose new districts overlap with the old 23rd district, “Nick (Langworthy) will be responsible for six of the counties that I currently represent. Claudia Tenney will be responsible for three of them and Marc Molinaro will be responsible for two. And these are all people I have a great relationship with. They’re all people I’ve know for years. They’re all people I have a good line of communication with and they’re all people we’ve been discussing constituent issues. We’ve been discussing transition issues.”

Sempolinski credited Republican gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin‘s strong campaign as to why Republican Congressional candidates had success at the polls, leading to seven new representatives from the Republican party joining the four Republican incumbents who won re-election in New York State.

NY Governor Kathy Hochul celebrates being elected the state’s first woman governor

Democrat Kathy Hochul has been elected the first woman governor of New York State.

Hochul defeated Republican Lee Zeldin with 52% of the vote.

It was a sweep for the Democrats in statewide elections in New York.

Incumbent Democrat State Attorney General Letitia James has been declared the winner against Republican Michael Henry. Incumbent Democrat Comptroller Tom DiNapoli also won re-election over Republican Paul Rodriguez.

U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer was re-elected to a fifth term over Republican Joe Pinion.

In the race for the new 23rd Congressional District, Republican Nick Langworthy declared victory over Democrat Max Della Pia.

In State Legislative races, Republican State Senator George Borrello has defeated Democrat Dan Brown and Republican Assemblyman Andy Goodell won re-election against Democrat Sandra Lewis.

In the special election for Chautauqua County Legislative District 13, incumbent Republican John Penhollow won with 1,600 votes over Democrat Barbara Colt who received 600 votes.

For the special election in the City of Jamestown for the Ward 5 Council Seat, Republican incumbant Bill Reynolds received 751 votes over Democrat Doug Lawson‘s 486 votes.

For the five 8th Judicial State Supreme Court Justice seats open, Craig Hannah, Tracey Bannister, Kelly Vacco, Gerald Greenan III, and Joseph Lorigo were elected. Shannon Heneghan lost that race.

The State proposition to authorize New York State to borrow $4.2 billion for the Clean Water, Clean Air, and Clean Jobs Environmental Bond Act was approved by voters. The monies will go toward funding environmental protection, natural restoration, resilience, and clean energy projects.

Governor Kathy Hochul is attempting to secure a full four-year term on the Democratic and Working Families line against Republican and Conservative endorsed candidate Lee Zeldin. Zeldin currently is the 1st Congressional District Representative. Hochul took over as Governor following Andrew Cuomo‘s resignation in August 2021. For the Lieutenant Governor’s race, Antonio Delgado is running with Hochul and Alison Esposito is running with Zeldin

Voters from Chautauqua County across to Stueben County and now part of Erie County will vote on a new representative for the new 23rd Congressional District. Republican Nick Langworthy is facing Democrat Max Della Pia for that seat. The pre-2020 census district was formerly led by Tom Reed for the last 10 years and is currently represented by Joe Sempolinski.

Longtime incumbent and Democrat Chuck Schumer is running for re-election against Republican Joe Pinion and LaRouche party candidate Diane Sare.

Two other statewide offices on the ballot include incumbent State Attorney General Letitia James on the Democratic and Working Families line facing Michael Henry on the Republican and Conservative lines.

And incumbent State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli on the Democratic and Working Families lines is facing Paul Rodriguez on the Republican and Conservative lines.

In State Legislative races, incumbent State Senator George Borrello is running on the Republican and Conservative lines for the 57th District against Dan Brown on the Democratic line. Incumbent Assemblyman Andy Goodell is also running on the Republican and Conservatives lines against Democrat Sandra Lewis.

In Chautauqua County races, the County Sheriff race is unopposed with incumbent Jim Quattrone running on the Republican and Conservative lines.

There are two special elections for the Chautauqua County Legislature.

In District 7, incumbent John Penhollow is running on the Republican and Conservative lines against Barbara Colt who is running on the Democratic and Working Families lines. Penhollow was appointed to fill the seat after Mark Odell resigned in July 2021.

In District 10, Republican incumbent Jaime Gustafson is running unopposed. She was appointed to fill the seat after Ken Lawton resigned due to moving out of the district. District 10 represents the southwest side of Jamestown, the Village of Lakewood and part of the Town of Busti.

In the City of Jamestown, a special election for the Ward 5 City Council seat is being held between incumbant Bill Reynolds on the Republican and Conservative lines and Democrat Doug Lawson. The winner of that race will fill out the remainder of that seat’s term following Grant Olson declining to take the seat after the 2021 election.

There are five seats open for the 8th Judicial State Supreme Court Justices. Running on all four lines of Democratic, Republican, Conservative and Working Families is Craig Hannah. Kelly Vacco and Gerald Greenan III are running on the Democratic, Republican, and Conservatives lines. Shannon Heneghan is running on the Democratic and Working Families lines. And Joseph Lorigo is running on the Republican and Conservatives lines.

There is one proposition located on the back of the ballot.

The Clean Water, Clean Air, and Clean Jobs Environmental Bond Act would, if approved, authorize New York State to borrow $4.2 billion to fund environmental protection, natural restoration, resilience, and clean energy projects.

The State Legislature has already approved the plan, which allows the state to sell the bonds immediately after approval. But in order to sell the bonds, the state has to get approval from voters.

Polls are open Tuesday from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m. in Chautauqua County.

For all of WRFA’s Election coverage, visit https://www.wrfalp.com/election-2022/

For voting information, including sample ballots and voting locations, visit VoteChautauqua.com

We’ll have Election Night coverage starting at 8pm tonight on 107.9 WRFA-LP.

Chautauqua County Board of Elections Commissioners Luz Torres and Brian Abram said 7,064 voters took part in early voting during the nine-day span. This is the second highest early voting turnout in Chautauqua County since early voting started in 2019.

In 2019, 3,827 participated in early voting. In 2020, which was a Presidential election year, 14,279 early voted. And in 2021, 3,276 early voted.

They said over 2,200 absentee ballots have been returned and opened by the Board of Elections as well.
Any voter who still have their Absentee Ballot can either place it in the mail by Election Day, November 8, 2022; or it can be dropped off at any Election Day poll site during voting hours on Tuesday.

Any individual who has already cast a ballot during early voting or returned their Absentee Ballot will be required to vote via a Provisional Affidavit Ballot. Additionally, anyone who has requested an Absentee Ballot but not yet returned it must vote via a Provisional Affidavit Ballot.

The court said in its decision that it would would be “extremely disruptive” to change the rules with absentee voting already underway.

The decision from the Appellate Division of the state Supreme Court reverses a lower court ruling that declared New York’s early review of absentee ballots unconstitutional. The appeals court said Republican and Conservative party officials who challenged the law waited too long.

The court also upheld a pandemic-era law that allows voters worried about becoming ill to vote by absentee.

In 2021 and 2022, New York state implemented voting reforms which sought to expand access to absentee ballots, ensure minor technical mistakes on ballots wouldn’t invalidate votes, and update the ballot counting process and timeline.

According to the state Board of Elections, about 552,000 absentee ballots have been sent out with more than 188,000 returned so far.

State Attorney General Letitia James said in a release, “We should be taking every step possible to empower voters and ease New Yorkers’ access to the polls. I was proud to defend New York’s absentee ballot reforms, and am happy with the decision to keep these commonsense election integrity initiatives in place.”

It was not clear if the plaintiffs would try to appeal to the state’s highest court.

The Board of Election posted on their website a message saying that any individuals claiming to verify voting information for the November 8, 2022 General Election are not in any way related to or employed by the Chautauqua County Board of Elections.

They said there are reports of a ‘voter integrity’ group going door to door and these individuals are not part of regular election activities.

The Chautauqua County BOE emphasized that all voters who are registered by October 14, as election law specifies, are eligible to vote in the November 8, 2022 General Election.

ID is not required in New York State and proof of identity is your signature comparison at the poll site. If you have moved and not notified the Board of Elections, you can still go to your new poll site where you will be required to vote via Provisional Affidavit Ballot.

State Attorney General Letitia James has also issued guidance to local Boards of Election (BOEs) and law enforcement agencies on how to combat voter intimidation and ensure voters’ rights are protected leading into the November 2022 general election.

Under state and federal law, voter intimidation is illegal.

James also sent guidance to local Board of Elections on managing long lines and supporting voters with disabilities at high traffic poll sites. More than 20% of New Yorkers have a disability.

The Office of the Attorney General cites the following conduct as potentially constituting as illegal voter intimidation:
– Individuals or groups patrolling outside of polling places and trying to scare people out of the voting line;
– Civilians dressing as law enforcement officers and harassing voters at poll sites;
– Poll watchers inside a polling place engaging in aggressive behavior or challenging large groups of voters, leading to long lines and creating false fears that people may be illegally voting;
– Poll watchers standing in the vicinity of privacy booths, standing in unauthorized areas, videotaping and/or photographing voters within the polling place, following or harassing voters in the polling place;
– Individuals spreading false rumors or making false statements that there are negative consequences to voting; and
– Individuals or groups displaying weapons or military uniforms or other military paraphernalia outside of polling locations.

Attorney General James also noted that federal law has determined that voter intimidation includes threatening violence against voters, threatening economic boycotts due to voting, and following voters to poll sites and speaking loudly about prosecuting them for illegal voting.

Additionally, publicly disseminating voters’ names and addresses, or “doxing,” to vilify those individuals or conducting patterns of baseless arrests and prosecutions in the vicinity of voter registration meetings are voter intimidation actions.

The OAG also reminds New Yorkers that the following actions are prohibited under New York state law:
– Requiring an individual to show photo ID to vote;
– State and local employees interfering with or affecting the election;
– Open carry of handguns, or the possession of machine guns and loaded or unloaded assault weapons, as well as the use of firearms or other dangerous instruments to intimidate or harass;
– A member of the United States armed forces preventing, or attempting to prevent, a voter from fully exercising their voting rights through force, threat, intimidation, or advice;
– Groups of people organizing as private militias without permission from the state; and
– Invading the privacy of a voting booth used by a voter.
Additionally, the guidance emphasizes that media and press are allowed to film or take pictures of individuals in the polling place if they have written authorization from BOE and permission from each individual.

New York law does not require the same accommodations for every voter with a disability, so OAG recommends BOEs instruct poll workers to determine the appropriate accommodations on an individualized basis.

New Yorkers who observe any illegal conduct are encouraged to contact OAG’s Election Protection Hotline by calling (866) 390-2992.

Residents also may call the Chautauqua County Board of Elections at 716-753-4580 .

Any emergencies or incidents involving potentially dangerous conduct should be reported to local law enforcement immediately by calling 911.

Sample election ballot showing the proposition up for a vote on November 8, 2022

A proposition to decide whether New York State borrows billions to fund environmental infrastructure projects is on the election ballot this year.

Under the proposal, the state would borrow up to $4.2 billion in general obligation bonds for projects related to the environment, natural resources, water infrastructure, and climate change mitigation.

The proposition is located on the back of the election ballot.

The State Legislature has already approved the plan, which allows the state to sell the bonds immediately after approval. But in order to sell the bonds, the state has to get approval from voters.

While there is not a specific list of projects, the plan passed by the legislature and signed by Governor Kathy Hochul would be split up for specific purposes.

Up to $1.50 billion in bond revenue would go toward air and water pollution reduction projects; wetland protections to address sea-level rise, storm surge, and flooding; relocating or retrofitting facilities; green building projects; solar arrays, heat pumps, and wind turbines in public low-income housing areas; zero-emission school buses; street trees and urban forest programs; green roofs and reflective roofs; and carbon sequestration on natural and working lands.

At least $1.1 billion would go toward flood-risk reduction, coastal and shoreline restoration, relocating and repairing flood-prone infrastructure and roadways, and ecological restoration projects.

$650 million would be used for land conservation and recreation plans, programs, and projects, as well as fish hatcheries; and

At least $650 million for projects related to wastewater, sewage, and septic infrastructure; lead service line replacement; riparian buffers; stormwater runoff reduction; agricultural nutrient runoff reduction; and addressing harmful algal blooms.

The ballot measure would require that at least 35% of bond revenue benefit disadvantaged communities.

Any projects would have to comply with the implementation plan set into law. They will also have to be approved through the state’s existing process for allocating capital spending.

Early voting

Chautauqua County Board of Elections Commissioners Luz Torres and Brian Abram announced there will be four poll sites open for early voting.

These sites include the Chautauqua County Fairgrounds, the Chautauqua Mall, the Robert H. Jackson Center and the Board of Elections office.

Each location will have signage that will indicate the entrances to the poll site. All registered voters in Chautauqua County are able to visit any one of these four early voting poll sites to cast their ballot early.

All four sites will be open the same hours: Saturdays and Sundays from 9:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m., Monday and Tuesday from 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.; and Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Early voting runs for nine days from Saturday, October 29 through Sunday, November 6. Early voting is not available on Monday, November 7.

All Early Voting sites are handicap accessible and do have a Ballot Marking Device for voters with disabilities.

Voters who cast their ballot early will not be able to cast a ballot during subsequent Early Voting days or on Election Day.

If you request an Absentee Ballot, recent law changes will prevent you from casting your ballot using the voting machine during Early Voting or on Election Day.

If you come to the poll site and want to vote, you will only be able to vote a Provisional Affidavit Ballot, which can be counted if you have not already returned your Absentee Ballot.

Visit votechautauqua.com to view sample ballots and learn more information about election day.

A 60-minute debate featuring the two candidates for the New York State Assembly’s 150th District: Andrew Goodell (R) and Sandra Lewis (D).

WATCH

The debate was held on Thursday, Oct. 13 at the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts inside the 3rd Floor Multimedia Room. It was moderated by WRFA’s Julia Ciesla-Hanley and also involved questions from participating media members – Terry Frank (Media One Radio / WJTN) and Justin Gould (WNY News Now), along with Ciesla-Hanley. There was also an opportunity for each candidate to ask one question to each of their two respective opponents.

Funding for the debate was made possible through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.