A special election has been set for May 24th to fill an upstate Congressional seat left vacant after Republican Chris Lee resigned last month.
Governor Cuomo made the announcement today, after signing a law that gives members of the military serving overseas more time to receive their ballots and cast their votes. The bill passed both legislative chambers unanimously last week.
Until now, special elections were held between 30 and 40 days from their announcement. The new law increases that time to between 70 and 80 days.
Lee represented the 26th district near Buffalo until February. He stepped down after a website published a photograph of him posing without a shirt that the married Congressman had purportedly sent to a woman he met on Criagslist.
Brigid Bergin is the City Hall reporter for WNYC. She covers city politics, including the upcoming mayoral race. She’s also traveled to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to report on the trial of the five men accused of plotting the September 11th terror attacks.
For show archives, please visit The Capitol Bureau's website here.
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