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HAVA: State Task Force AdvocacyUnfortunately, the State Task Force process envisioned under HAVA was tainted from the start in New York by political maneuvering from the Governor’s office. In a move that troubled many advocates, Governor Pataki replaced Thomas Wilkey, the Executive Director of the State Board of Elections as head of the Task Force and named his deputy, Peter Kosinski in his stead. The composition of the Task Force appointed by Mr. Kosinski was grossly unrepresentative of the state’s diverse population, failing to even include stakeholders such as those groups covered under the Voting Rights Act. Task Force meetings were tightly controlled by the Chair, no substantive background information was provided to members, nor were any votes cast, including whether to approve the final report itself. The final report of the Task Force is so vague that its value as a guide to future state policy is virtually meaningless. As a result, it is feared by advocates that any implementation issues not addressed by the State Legislature will be left to the sole discretion of Mr. Kosinski. Coalition advocacy covers initial overtures to the Task Force for inclusiveness; critiques of the Task Force’s composition and process; briefing papers and fact sheets distributed to Task Force members and comments on the Task Force’s report. A selection is presented below. It should be noted that neither the Task Force, nor its Chair Peter Kosinski, replied to any of the following documents. 1/9/03 Letter to State Board of Elections on HAVA’s Requirement for New Voter Registration Forms 2/25/03 Letter to State BOE on Task Force Composition and Process 2/26/03 Release on Task Force Composition and Process 3/4/03 Follow-up to 2/25 Letter on Task Force Composition and Process 6/10/03 Letter to State BOE Task Force on Hearings and Report 7/10/03 Coalition Release on Testimony to Task Force
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