A local congressional candidate is celebrating a win,
even though Election Day is still weeks away.
On Monday, the U.S. District Court for the
Southern District of New York mandated that all election mail be treated as
priority or first class. It also rules that all worker overtime near Election Day be pre-approved plus other steps that
will ensure on-time delivery of ballots.
That decision was based on a lawsuit filed by Mondaire Jones and more than a
dozen other local politicians last month.
Jones isn't even officially a politician yet. He's the Democratic candidate for
the 17th Congressional District to replace the retiring Rep. Nita Lowey.
Jones says this is a win for everyone. "People of all political
backgrounds understand we are better as a country when everyone's voice is
heard. when everyone's voice is counted. when we can come together after an
election and say you know what, the candidates who got the most votes are
appropriately the candidates elected to office."
Last
week, a federal judge in the state of Washington issued a similar order linked
to a separate lawsuit.