On Tuesday February 28th, the NYS Board of Elections sent out a press release regarding its plans to stick to lever machines for the 2006 primary.

After several weeks of encouraging NYS to comply with HAVA voluntarily, US DOJ became fed up with New York States lack of compliance and filed a law suit against the State on Wednesday, March 1st , 2006.

On Tuesday, March 14th, in Federal District Court in Albany, NY the US DOJ challenged New York State to develop a concrete plan for the implementation of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). The court gave New York State until April 10th to produce a HAVA Plan.

This act is significant for it represents the first time the US DOJ has sued a state over HAVA compliance. One of the main intentions of the suit is to vindicate the voting rights of New Yorkers with Disabilities. “New Yorkers with Disabilities have been waiting for over 200 years to have full access to voting machines, polling places and the ballot. It is time that New York State be compelled to honor their moral and legal responsibilities to insure the complete implement HAVA”, stated, Brad Williams of NYSILC.