The Jefferson County Independence Party's defiance of the will of the state party committee during this winter's special election has proved costly.

State party officials have changed their party's rules to ensure that it is the state executive committee, not the local committees, that have the sole power to give authorization to out-of-party candidates to appear on their ballot line. The amended rule applies to races, such as those for the state Legislature, that involve more than one county.

That means the Jefferson County committee's decision Thursday to endorse Republican Robert W. "Bobby" Cantwell III in the 118th Assembly District and Democrat Darrel J. Aubertine in the 48th Senate was little more than symbolic.

"We can't give them the line, but we'll back them any way we can," said John L. Rice, Jefferson County party committee chairman.

It is unclear when the state executive committee will meet to make endorsements and dole out line authorizations to non-party candidates. Frank M. MacKay, state party chairman, and Thomas Connolly, state party vice chairman, did not return phone calls seeking comment Friday.

It's expected that the executive committee will endorse one candidate each in both the 118th Assembly District and the 48th Senate District. The committee has no obligation to follow the local committee's recommendation. Since non-Independence Party candidates need authorization to appear on the third-party line, it's not likely the state executive committee would dole out authorizations to opposing candidates and create a primary.

The state party's rules were challenged in court during the special election in the 48th Senate District in February.

Mr. Aubertine, then an assemblyman, was endorsed by the Jefferson County committee. The newly re-formed Oswego County committee then endorsed Mr. Aubertine's opponent, Assemblyman William A. Barclay, R-Pulaski.

Both committees gave their candidate of choice authorization to appear on the party's line on the special election ballot. Mr. MacKay argued that Jefferson County ignored party rules on multicounty races and had illegally granted the authorization to Mr. Aubertine.

The state Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Mr. Barclay the day before the election.

Mr. Rice said the local vote was 6-0 in favor of Mr. Cantwell and Mr. Aubertine. Jeffrey E. Graham, a party member and Watertown mayor, abstained from voting.

Mr. Cantwell, a Clayton town councilman, "seems like a local, homegrown kid that will do good for the area," Mr. Rice said. "He's from the district and he knows what's going on."

The local chairman said he had not talked to Mr. Cantwell's opponents, Addie J. Russell, a Democrat, and Donald J. Lucas, an independent.

"At this point, I'm not pursuing it at all," Mrs. Russell, Theresa, said Friday.

Mr. Aubertine's opponent, Watertown attorney David A. Renzi, did pursue the endorsement, Mr. Rice said. The chairman said of the vote for Mr. Aubertine: "The consensus of the committee was that we made the choice last time and went with it. We're going to stick to that choice."

The committee did not issue support for candidates in the 122nd Assembly District and the 23rd Congressional District.