Electoral systems

NY Court Allows 2024 Election Challenge to Proceed

JUN 10 2025·Updated JUN 11 2025

Story

Above: Wisconsin voters cast their ballots at the American Legion Hall on November 05, 2024 in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Image credit: Stacy Revere/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images

The Facts

New York Supreme Court Judge Rachel Tanguay ruled in May that a lawsuit challenging 2024 election results in Rockland County can proceed to discovery, allowing evidence gathering and depositions regarding alleged voting discrepancies.
The Economic Times
Newsweek
SMART Legislation filed the lawsuit seeking a full hand recount of presidential and U.S. Senate ballots, citing sworn affidavits from voters claiming their votes for independent Senate candidate Diane Sare were not properly counted by election officials.
New Jersey Digest
The Associated Press
Courts
Statistical analysis by University of Alabama physics professor Max Bonamente found the 2024 presidential election results were "statistically highly unlikely" in four of five Rockland County towns compared to 2020 data.
The Economic Times
Newsweek
The complaint alleges multiple districts recorded hundreds of votes for Democratic Senate candidate Kirsten Gillibrand while showing zero votes for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in the same precincts.
The Associated Press
The Economic Times
Drop-off rates between presidential and Senate candidates showed unusual patterns, with Harris receiving 9% fewer votes than Gillibrand while Trump received 23% more votes than the Republican Senate candidate.
The Associated Press
The Economic Times
Political science professor Costas Panagopoulos stated that while statistical irregularities should be investigated, the inconsistencies would not be sufficient to change New York state election outcomes and may reflect the unique nature of the 2024 cycle.
The Economic Times
Newsweek

Sources Split

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The Spin

Establishment-critical narrative

Clear evidence shows Senate results are incorrect with sworn voter affidavits contradicting official counts. Statistical anomalies including impossible voting patterns demand a transparent hand recount to protect constitutional rights. The discovery process will expose systemic election vulnerabilities. Every vote must counted, and no harm can come from due diligence suits to improve the electoral process.

Smartelections

Pro-establishment narrative

Statistical irregularities don't necessarily indicate wrongdoing and could reflect calculation errors or the unique 2024 election cycle. These inconsistencies wouldn't change state outcomes and scrutiny should focus on correcting historical records rather than invalidating elections. What's more, some group members have amplified conspiracies and needlessly sowed doubt in our elections.