The electoral system which – by judicial order – allowed some citizens to vote six times for the same candidate and resulted in the victory of a Hispanic politician could be extended to other localities where minority populations complain that they are not represented in the government. 

Port Chester had to adopt the unusual method by order of a federal judge who found that the area's Hispanics were not receiving fair treatment. 

"It is hoped that the 2010 Census will show large increases in the Latino population in many areas, and it is likely that there will be more lawsuits alleging electoral discrimination," said Rob Richie, the executive director of FairVote, an organization that advocates for the reform of electoral laws. 

By the same token, minority groups, federal attorneys, and municipal governments will have to seek ways in which elections do not violate the Voting Rights Act, which protects the constitutional right of minority groups to equal protection on the part of the government. 

In Port Chester, two City Council members were elected every two years in conventional general elections. The majority of the voters were non-Hispanic whites, and there were always six white council members, although Hispanics made up half the population and a quarter of the citizens with a right to vote. 

Judge Stephen Robinson determined that this system violated the federal laws by diluting the impact of Hispanic votes. 

The municipality of some 30,000 inhabitants refused [the judge's solution] and suggested instead a system known as "cumulative voting." The six council members would all be elected at the same time, and each voter would have six votes to distribute as he or she wished. The voters could give all his or her votes to a single candidate, one vote to each, or any other combination.