Here is what you might have missed this week in politics:

County releases information about affidavit and court order voting

In the New York state primaries 1,445 people pursued affidavits and court orders after being denied the right to vote. After the courts and Board of Elections made decisions, 42 percent of these voters were counted.

Officials said many more people than usual sought out pathways to voting after denial at the polls. Only 78 people went to court, while 1,367 filed an affidavit ballot, according to Syracuse.com.

New York state’s primaries are closed, meaning only registered Democrats and Republicans can vote in their respective contests. Most people who lost their petitions to vote were not registered to a party or were not registered at all.

 

Cuomo announces search for new state police superintendent

New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the formation of the search committee for a new superintendent of the New York State Police. Joseph D’Amico, the current superintendent, announced he would be stepping down on April 8.

D’Amico has been superintendent since January 2011, according to a press release from the governor’s office. The search committee consists of seven people, most of who have previously served in law enforcement in New York state.

Cuomo made the announcement on Thursday.

 

Syracuse Housing Authority to receive funding for juvenile assistance

The Syracuse Housing Authority will receive $100,000 to help juveniles released from prison find houses and jobs. The United States Department of Justice and Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) are giving a total of $1.75 million to public housing authorities across the country for the program.

As a part of the requirements of the funding, the Syracuse Housing Authority partnered the Center for Community Alternatives, a nonprofit legal service organization that provides legal assistance for juveniles. The center received $58,744 through the program.

The Department of Justice and HUD are providing this funding through their Juvenile Re-entry Assistance Program (JRAP).

 

Associates of Bill de Blasio issued subpoenas

An investigation into the fundraising tactics of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio moved forward on Wednesday when advisers and associates to the mayor were issued subpoenas.

The associates include Ross Offinger, a former fundraiser; Emma Wolfe, director of intergovernmental affairs in City Hall; and BerlinRosen, a consulting firm that aided the mayor’s 2013 campaign, according to Newsday.

The mayor has been accused of funneling campaign contributions through state Democratic committees to three Democratic state senate candidates in 2014. The law prohibits committees from restricting contributions to particular candidates.

 

Cuomo announces prescription data sharing program

New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Tuesday the formation of a data-sharing program in conjunction with the state of New Jersey. The data is from the Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP), which tracks the controlled substance prescriptions of patients.

The states are hoping to further prevent the stockpiling and abuse of prescription drugs by sharing information about patients. This may aid in catching people who are attempting to cross state lines to collect more prescription drugs, according to a press release from the governor’s office.

Since the program began on April 14, more than 16,000 records had been requested between the two states, as of April 22.

Published on April 29, 2016 at 4:32 pm

Contact Delaney: dovanwey@syr.edu