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Republicans want to redo New York primary ballots

BY DAN JANISON.dan.janison@newsday.com

January 26, 2008

State Republicans have touched off an 11th-hour storm by trying to change the GOP presidential primary ballot in a way that could give Rudy Giuliani, their preferred candidate, better name display at the polls.

Picked by an earlier lottery, the order on the New York ballot a week from Tuesday was to be: Ron Paul on top, followed by Alan Keyes, Duncan Hunter, Giuliani, Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, John McCain and Fred Thompson.

If GOP officials prevail, the three candidates who have dropped out - Keyes, Hunter and Thompson - would have their names removed so Giuliani gets second place and McCain becomes last of the five.

The move prompted resistance from Democrats who said election law does not allow GOP officials to do it. Republican lawyers privately argued that it does. Absentee ballots have been sent out, many machines are ready, and changes could be very costly, critics said.

New York City's election board on Friday balked at an amendment notice, sent by the GOP counsel at the state Board of Elections. The city panel deadlocked in a 4-4 party-line vote. Steve Richman, the city board's Democratic counsel, said Republicans cannot remove candidates without a full state board vote.

William Biamonte, Nassau's Democratic elections commissioner, questioned how his county could act if the city does not - since Queens and Nassau share a congressional district and ballots must be uniform. Nassau also shares two congressional districts with Suffolk. Keith Tuthill, Republican director of operations at the Suffolk elections board, expressed hope for a quick resolution with machines due to start arriving in county polling places Monday. Edward Cox, chairman of the McCain effort in New York, said only, "We're looking into it."