As Voting Starts, Rockland Conservatives Sue Over 2 On Ballot Line

ROCKLAND COUNTY, NY — The Rockland County Conservative Party has filed suit against the county Board of Elections over two people it says were unauthorized to have the Conservative line on the 2023 General Election ballot.

Voting started Saturday.

Legislator Aron Wieder and Spring Valley Trustee Yisroel Eisenbach were not endorsed as Conservative Party candidates, party Chairman Sam Naemit said.

"The Conservative Party did not file a certificate of authorization for those two candidates, meaning that the party did not endorse their candidacy and they are not allowed to be placed on the Conservative Party line," he told Patch.

Under New York State law, a candidate enrolled in one party can only run as a candidate of another party with the permission of the other party, he said.

"We were unaware that this happened until a Conservative Party member went to vote in those election districts," Naemit told Patch. "Party chairs do not receive a copy of the sample ballots."

Naemit said he didn't blame the candidates but the board of elections for putting them on the ballot without the certification.

"To protect the integrity of elections and the party’s right to designate and authorize its own candidates, the Conservative Party filed a lawsuit in State Supreme Court to remove them from the Conservative Party ballot."

The lawsuit was filed Sunday night in Supreme Court, he said.