- LaLota simultaneously held roles as Amityville Village Trustee and Suffolk County Election Commissioner, a situation allowed by state law but potentially perceived as a conflict of interest, especially since he had to recuse himself from village election matters where he was a candidate (Newsday, 2/23/15; Amityville Record, 2/11/15)
- Questions arose about the accuracy of timekeeping and whether LaLota’s out-of-office calls and emails counted as legitimate county work hours, prompting an audit and his subsequent pledge to install biometric time clocks for accountability (Newsday, 6/9/19)
- Some colleagues criticized LaLota for not fully utilizing his election commission expertise in local GOP petition and ballot drive efforts, which resulted in procedural mistakes and rejected petitions (Amityville Record, 10/5/16)
- Rollouts of technological updates for polling, such as new check-in systems and early voting, encountered glitches and voter delays; LaLota attributed these to limited preparation and resource constraints, highlighting operational vulnerabilities under his leadership (Newsday, 10/27/19)
- LaLota’s role in ruling on ballot petition objections (e.g., upholding a “fatal defect” on technicalities), while technically correct, opened him to criticism for harshness and inconsistency with the norm of leniency in local elections (Newsday, 2/22/19)
2014: New York State Law Allowed LaLota To Serve As Both Trustee And Election Commissioner According to Newsday, "State law bars most public officeholders from also being in the commissioner's job but exempts village officers. LaLota, 36, said the new job would not present a conflict of interest." [Newsday (New York), 11/18/14]
November 2014: LaLota Was Nominated To Be Suffolk County GOP Election Commissioner According to Newsday, "LaLota was tapped Friday by Suffolk Republican chairman John Jay LaValle for the $137,651-a-year county commissioner's job, where he would replace Wayne Rogers." [Newsday (New York), 11/18/14]
2014: LaLota Would Oversee 60 Employees And Election Administration If Approved As Commissioner According to Newsday, "As commissioner, LaLota would oversee 60 employees, the administration of elections and registration of voters." [Newsday (New York), 11/18/14]
2014: LaLota Would Become Youngest Suffolk GOP Election Commissioner In 30 Years If Appointed According to Newsday, "If approved, LaLota would be the youngest Suffolk County GOP elections commissioner in 30 years, LaValle said. William Canary was 31 when he took the office in 1984." [Newsday (New York), 11/18/14]
February 2015: Nick LaLota Asked Deputy Commissioner To Act In His Place For Village Election Issues According to Amityville Record, "Amityville Village Trustee Nick LaLota has asked Deputy Board of Elections Commissioner William J. Ellis to assume his role in any issues that may come up related to the Amityville Village election on March 18. In that election, LaLota is running to retain his seat on the board." [Amityville Record, 2/11/15]
January 2015: Nick LaLota Became Suffolk County Board Of Elections Commissioner According to Amityville Record, "LaLota, who formerly served as chief of staff to New York State Sen. Phil Boyle, became one of the two Suffolk County board of commissioners in January." [Amityville Record, 2/11/15]
New York State Law Permitted LaLota To Serve As Trustee And Election Commissioner In 2015 According to Amityville Record, "While elected officials are prohibited from serving as both a public official and election commissioner, New York State election Law 3-200 permits a Village or school board trustee to hold both posts." [Amityville Record, 2/11/15]
2015: Nick LaLota Limited His Role In Amityville Village Election Due To Conflict Of Interest According to Newsday (New York), "In one of his first steps as Suffolk's new Republican elections commissioner, Nick LaLota removed himself from involvement in the March 18 Amityville Village election where he seeks a new term as a village trustee." [Newsday (New York), 2/23/15]
2015: Nick LaLota Appointed Bill Ellis To Oversee Suffolk Board’s Election Role According to Newsday (New York), "LaLota named GOP deputy elections commissioner Bill Ellis, also Smithtown GOP chairman, to oversee the board's role." [Newsday (New York), 2/23/15]
2016: Nick LaLota Served As Amityville Village Trustee And Suffolk County Board Of Elections Commissioner According to Amityville Record, "Heading up the councilmatic district initiative for the GOP were Nick LaLota, a trustee in the Village of Amityville and a commissioner in the Suffolk County Board of Elections, and S.C. Leg. Kevin McCaffrey (R-Lindenhurst)." [Amityville Record (New York), 10/5/16]
2016: Nick LaLota Criticized Town Clerk Carol Quirk's Rejection Of GOP Petitions According to Amityville Record, "LaLota said it came as no surprise to him that Quirk rejected the petitions. 'I am sure she (Quirk, a Democrat) was acting in response to the Democratic committee,' he said." [Amityville Record (New York), 10/5/16]
2016: Richard Schaffer Criticized Nick LaLota's Knowledge Of Petition Requirements According to Amityville Record, "Schaffer added that LaLota, who headed up the petition drive with McCaffrey, should have known better. 'He is a commissioner at the Board of Elections and allegedly an expert on petitions,' said Schaffer. 'He should know the required form.'" [Amityville Record (New York), 10/5/16]
2017: Nick LaLota Signed Official Suffolk County Primary Election Notice As Election Commissioner According to a press release from the Suffolk County News, "IN WITNESS WHEREOF, We, Nick LaLota and Anita S. Katz, Commissioners of Elections, in and for the County of Suffolk, State of New York, have hereunto set our hands and affixed the seal of the Board of Elections this 21st day of August, 2017. Nick LaLota - Anita S. Katz Commissioners of Elections County of Suffolk State of New York" [Press Release - Suffolk County News (Sayville, New York), 9/7/17]
2017: Nick LaLota Announced Contested Offices For Suffolk County Primary Elections As Election Commissioner According to a press release from the Suffolk County News, "Pursuant to the provisions of the Election Law, Section 4-118, notice is hereby given that the Official Primary Election for the contested public offices and party positions for the enrolled voters of the Democratic, Republican, Conservative, Independence, Green, Women Equality, and Reform Parties in Suffolk County, will be held Tuesday, September 12, 2017 from 6:00 A.M. until 9:00 P.M. [...] IN WITNESS WHEREOF, We, Nick LaLota and Anita S. Katz, Commissioners of Elections, in and for the County of Suffolk, State of New York, have hereunto set our hands and affixed the seal of the Board of Elections this 21st day of August, 2017." [Press Release - Suffolk County News (Sayville, New York), 9/7/17]
2017: Nick LaLota Served As Republican Election Commissioner In Suffolk County According to Newsday, "There are another 14,113 absentee ballots to be counted and more that will come in up to seven days after the election, according to Republican Election Commissioner Nick LaLota." [Newsday (New York), 11/9/17]
2017: Nick LaLota Projected The Suffolk County Sheriff Race Would Take Weeks To Resolve According to Newsday, "He said the race wouldn't be decided anytime soon. 'Expect this to be decided sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas,' he said." [Newsday (New York), 11/9/17]
2017: Nick LaLota Noted Republican Absentee Ballots Outnumbered Democratic Absentee Ballots By 840 According to Newsday, "LaLota said Republican absentee ballots outnumber Democrats' by 840. 'Given the number of Republican ballots compared to Democrat, Zacarese has a fighter's chance of winning,' LaLota said." [Newsday (New York), 11/9/17]
2017: Nick LaLota Stated The Timeline For Counting Ballots Was Uncertain According to Newsday, "Schaffer said he expected votes to start being counted next week, but LaLota said it would be premature to say when ballots will begin to be counted." [Newsday (New York), 11/9/17]
October 2019: Nick LaLota Attributed Voting Delay In North Babylon To Computer Programming Issue According to Newsday (New York), "Suffolk elections Commissioner Nick LaLota said the computers in North Babylon had not been programmed correctly, so election workers had to wait for a programmer from the elections-equipment vendor, St. Louis-based KnowInk, to arrive. The elections board asked KnowInk to have workers in Suffolk on Saturday in case there were problems, LaLota said. The issue was resolved an hour and a half after polls opened, he said." [Newsday (New York), 10/27/19]
October 2019: Nick LaLota Reported Bluetooth Connectivity Caused Islip Voting Delay According to Newsday (New York), "At Islip Town Hall Annex, the problem was Bluetooth connectivity between the computer tablets on which voters checked in and the devices that printed out ballots, he said. That problem was fixed by 10:45 a.m., 45 minutes after polls opened, and by about 11 a.m. the backlog of waiting voters had been cleared up, he said." [Newsday (New York), 10/27/19]
October 2019: Nick LaLota Cited Limited Preparation Time For Early Voting Glitches According to Newsday (New York), "LaLota said one reason for the glitches is because the state had finalized rules and processes for early voting in the past few months, giving counties relatively little time to prepare." [Newsday (New York), 10/27/19]
November 2019: Nick LaLota Served As Republican Elections Commissioner For Suffolk County According to Newsday (New York), "The county Board of Elections will begin tallying at least 600 absentee and affidavit ballots on Nov. 19, Republican elections Commissioner Nick LaLota and Democratic Commissioner Anita Katz said." [Newsday (New York), 11/8/19]
November 2019: Nick LaLota Provided Absentee Ballot Counts For Suffolk Board Of Elections According to Newsday (New York), "LaLota said the elections board had received 681 absentees - 317 from Republicans and 221 from Democrats." [Newsday (New York), 11/8/19]
October 2020: Suffolk County Republican Elections Commissioner Nick LaLota Warned Results Would Be Delayed According to Newsday, "'It's very unlikely we are going to be able to declare winners on Election Night,' Suffolk County Republican Elections Commissioner Nick LaLota said. 'I want to caution voters on what expectation to have on Election Night.'" [Newsday (New York), 10/16/20]
October 2020: LaLota Emphasized Accuracy Over Speed Counting Election Results According to Newsday, 'I understand that speed is a desire. But accuracy is our mission,' LaLota said. [Newsday (New York), 10/16/20]
2020: Nick LaLota Served As Suffolk Board Of Elections Republican Commissioner According to Newsday (New York), 'The process is working, but Long Islanders seem to want to camp out two or three hours ahead of time,' said Suffolk Board of Elections Republican Commissioner Nick LaLota. [Newsday (New York), 10/27/20]
April 2021: Nick LaLota Served As Suffolk County Commissioner Of Elections According to Long Island Advance, "IN WITNESS WHEREOF, we Anita S. Katz and Nick LaLota, Commissioners of Elections, in and for the County of Suffolk, State of New York, have hereunto set our hands and affixed the seal of the Board of Elections this 20th day of April, 2021." [Long Island Advance, 5/20/21]
August 2021: Nick LaLota Served As Suffolk's Republican Elections Commissioner And Former Amityville Trustee According to Newsday (New York), "Suffolk's Republican Elections Commissioner Nick LaLota, a former Amityville trustee, was surprised to hear of Amityville's plans when contacted by a Newsday reporter, and pointed to a state law that requires referendums be submitted 90 days before an election." [Newsday (New York), 8/20/21]
Nick LaLota Informed Amityville Officials Of 2019 Legal Change Extending Referendum Submission Deadline To 90 Days According to Newsday (New York), "Village attorney Bruce Kennedy said that he then received a call from LaLota and discovered that the law had been changed from 36 days to 90 days. Kennedy said he had been unaware of the change, which LaLota told Newsday occurred in 2019." [Newsday (New York), 8/20/21]
Since 2008: LaLota Held Various Local Government Leadership Roles In Long Island According to Suffolk County News, "Since 2008, LaLota has served in different leadership roles in local government here on Long Island and currently serves as the chief of staff to the Suffolk County Legislature." [Suffolk County News (Sayville, New York), 8/25/22]
Since 2008: LaLota Held Leadership Roles In Long Island Local Government According to Long Island Advance, "Since 2008, LaLota has served in different leadership roles in local government here on Long Island and currently serves as the chief of staff to the Suffolk County Legislature." [Long Island Advance (Patchogue, New York), 8/25/22]
Nick LaLota Served As Chief Of Staff To GOP Majority In Suffolk County Legislature (Prior To 2022) According to Newsday, "Bond's ad might have given viewers the absurd notion that LaLota – chief of staff to their party's majority in the Suffolk County Legislature – somehow harbors a secret utopian anarchist agenda." [Newsday (New York), 8/26/22]
2022: Nick LaLota Served As Chief Of Staff To Suffolk County Presiding Officer According to Long Island Press, "LaLota, who serves as chief of staff to Suffolk County Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey (R-Lindenhurst), beat former Brookhaven Town Deputy Supervisor Anthony Figliola and Michelle Bond, a cryptocurrency trade group leader." [Long Island Press (New York), 8/26/22]
August 2016: Nick LaLota Spearheaded Petition Drive For Babylon Town Council District Election System According to Newsday (New York), "LaLota, who is also a Suffolk County Board of Elections commissioner, spearheaded the drive in party committee meetings late last month, saying in an interview this week that the change would mean better representation for town residents." [Newsday (New York), 9/1/16]
2016: Nick LaLota Led Republican Effort To Place Council District Reform On Babylon Ballot According to Amityville Record, "Heading up that initiative was Republican Nick LaLota, a trustee in the Village of Amityville and a commissioner in the Suffolk County Board of Elections, and S.C. Leg. Kevin McCaffrey." [Amityville Record (New York), 9/7/16]
2016: Nick LaLota Led Republican Effort To Put Councilmatic Districts Question On Babylon Ballot According to Babylon Beacon, "Heading up that initiative was Republican Nick LaLota, a trustee in the Village of Amityville and a commissioner in the Suffolk County Board of Elections, and S.C. Leg. Kevin McCaffrey." [Babylon Beacon (New York), 9/8/16]
June 2019: Nick LaLota Described Audit Request as Politically Motivated According to Newsday (New York), "LaLota called Gregory's audit request politically motivated, saying he puts in the required 70 hours of county time every two weeks." [Newsday (New York), 6/9/19]
2019: Nick LaLota Said Suffolk Chose 10 Early-Voting Sites Based On Number Of Towns, Exceeding State Minimum According to Newsday, "LaLota said the board decided on 10 early-voting sites based on the number of towns, even though state legislation only required a minimum of seven polling places countywide." [Newsday (New York), 10/1/19]
2019: Nick LaLota Cited Resource And Timing Constraints As Reason For Limiting Suffolk Early Voting Sites According to Newsday, "LaLota said the elections board did not have the time or resources to set up more sites, given the 'rushed' rollout of early voting and a new iPad check-in system for voters." [Newsday (New York), 10/1/19]
2019: Nick LaLota Attributed The Change In Polling Policy To Better Cellular Signal At Southampton Site According to Newsday, "What made the change possible, he said, was moving the Southampton Town polling location to a site with a better cellular signal - 70 Tuckahoe Rd. - so polling inspectors could connect to the voter check-in system via iPad." [Newsday (New York), 10/1/19]
2019: Nick LaLota Reported Suffolk Had About 975,000 Registered Voters According to Newsday, "There are about 975,000 registered voters in Suffolk, LaLota said." [Newsday (New York), 10/1/19]
2019: Nick LaLota Stated Poll Inspectors Underwent Eight Weeks Of Training On New Check-in System According to Newsday, "Polling places are required to have between six and 50 poll inspectors, and the board has spent eight weeks training inspectors on the new check-in system." [Newsday (New York), 10/1/19]
October 2020: LaLota Announced Suffolk County Would Wait Seven Days After Election Day To Begin Counting Paper Ballots According to Newsday, 'Neither county will begin counting paper ballots until seven days after Election Day, officials said Thursday.' [Newsday (New York), 10/16/20]
2020: Nick LaLota Reported High Early Voter Turnout In Suffolk County According to Newsday (New York), 'In total, 15,492 Suffolk residents cast ballots at the county's 12 early voting sites Monday - a nearly 900% increase from the third day of early voting in 2019 and nearly exceeding the more than 20,000 ballots cast in-person in the county over the entire weekend, LaLota said.' [Newsday (New York), 10/27/20]
2020: Nick LaLota Commented On Early Voting Efficiency In Suffolk County According to Newsday (New York), 'The Suffolk Board of Elections, LaLota said, processed an early voter every 1.94 seconds Monday until polls closed at 3 p.m.' [Newsday (New York), 10/27/20]
2020: Nick LaLota Notified Inactive Voters About Reactivation Steps According to Newsday, "The board mailed multiple notices to voters notifying them of their status," said Republican Suffolk County Commissioner Nick LaLota. "One of our mailers included notifying inactive voters of their inactive status and how to reactivate." [Newsday (New York), 10/28/20]
2020: Nick LaLota Expected Fewer Affidavit Ballots Than 2016 Despite Higher Registration According to Newsday, "Despite 80,000 more registered voters now than in 2016 in Suffolk County alone, LaLota expects to see fewer affidavit ballots cast on Nov. 3 compared with the last presidential election." [Newsday (New York), 10/28/20]
2020: Nick LaLota Attributed Voter Registration Awareness To Increased Public Outreach According to Newsday, "Whether you are on social media or on any of your apps, voting is a hot topic and one that many outside groups and organizations have spent resources on educating the public on voter registration and participation," LaLota said. [Newsday (New York), 10/28/20]
2019: Nick LaLota, As Republican Elections Commissioner, Ruled On Ballot Petition Objection According to Newsday (New York), "LaLota, as Republican commissioner for the board, had to rule on the matter. On Friday, he and Democratic Elections Commissioner Anita Katz ruled that under state election law, the erroneous date is a 'fatal defect' and the petition therefore invalid." [Newsday (New York), 2/22/19]
Nick LaLota Stated 2019 Petition Objection Was His First In Five Years As Commissioner According to Newsday (New York), "LaLota, who said he would have voted for Cruthers, said that in his five years as commissioner, this was his first instance of a village petition objection." [Newsday (New York), 2/22/19]
Nick LaLota Commented On Norms In Village Election Ballot Challenges In 2019 According to Newsday (New York), "The norm is for these minor mistakes to be permitted, because typically village elections are competition among neighbors and it's considered to be more cordial in that neighbors wouldn't use a technicality to get another neighbor off the ballot," he said. [Newsday (New York), 2/22/19]
June 2019: Nick LaLota Announced Installation of Biometric Time Clock for GOP Election Officials According to Newsday (New York), "LaLota, in a letter to Comptroller John M. Kennedy Jr. last week, said he intended to install a $500 biometric time clock to verify his presence and that of his top staff. They'll all clock in and out on a time clock with a fingerprint scanner." [Newsday (New York), 6/9/19]
June 2019: Nick LaLota Sought Higher Standards for Timekeeping Amid Audit Scrutiny According to Newsday (New York), "'Considering today's world where someone who is not guilty has to go above and beyond to prove their innocence, I am writing to ensure my Republican administration and I are held to the highest standard,' LaLota told Kennedy." [Newsday (New York), 6/9/19]
June 2019: Nick LaLota Included Out-Of-Office Calls and Emails as Work Hours According to Newsday (New York), "Gregory also said a scanner would not address the fact that LaLota in the audit acknowledged he counts time taking calls and emails out of the office as part of his work hours." [Newsday (New York), 6/9/19]
2019: Nick LaLota Announced Suffolk Early Voters Could Cast Ballots At Any Of 10 Countywide Polling Places According to Newsday, "Officials expanded where residents can vote after testing communications and security technology, including about 100 iPads, to ensure voters cannot cast a second ballot at another polling place, said Commissioners Nick LaLota, a Republican, and Anita Katz, a Democrat." [Newsday (New York), 10/1/19]
2019: Nick LaLota Stated Early-Voting Rollout Depended On Secure Technology According to Newsday, "He said the board had intended all along to allow voters to use any of the 10 sites, as long as the system was secure and the technology worked." [Newsday (New York), 10/1/19]
2019: Nick LaLota Explained New System Would Prevent Double Voting According to Newsday, "The new system also will send voting records to all the early-voting polling sites so that no one can vote twice or illegally, LaLota said." [Newsday (New York), 10/1/19]
2013: Nick LaLota Voted for Term Limits as Amityville Trustee According to Amityville Record, "Early in the Wandell administration, when I had the pleasure of serving as Deputy Mayor, I joined with Mayor James Wandell and Trustee Nick LaLota to vote in favor of term limits. Our law—the first of its kind in Amityville—limited Mayors and Trustees to two four-year terms." [Amityville Record (New York), 1/6/21]
Nick LaLota Credited Jessica Bernius for Deciding Votes on Board Issues According to Amityville Record, "Former Trustee Nick LaLota recalls how Bernius was often the deciding vote in major issues such as term limits and the tax cap compliant budgets the board put through when he was a Trustee." [Amityville Record (New York), 1/6/21]
Nick LaLota Expressed Gratitude to Jessica Bernius for Election Support According to Amityville Record, "LaLota added that Bernius has been a mentor and friend who was a strong ally in the Amityville First Party's commitment to fix Amityville's finances. 'I am forever grateful for Jessica vouching for me with many of her friends and supporters—helping my election and re-election as Trustee. I couldn't ask for a better wingman!'" [Amityville Record (New York), 1/6/21]
Nick LaLota Praised Jessica Bernius's Advocacy for Amityville Projects According to Amityville Record, "Behind the scenes, Jessica's relentless advocacy helped ensure that Superstorm Sandy funds were focused on protecting villagers from future flooding. Likewise, Jessica protected the village's historical charm and character as residential development projects were proposed and ultimately approved." [Amityville Record (New York), 1/6/21]