CALL GOVERNOR CUOMO TODAY AT (518) 474-8390. URGE HIM TO STAND BY HIS PLEDGE TO VETO GERRYMANDERED DISTRICT LINES. NEW YORK NEEDS HONEST REDISTRICTING AND FAIR ELECTIONS!
January 27, 2012
The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo
Governor of New York State
NYS State Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224
Dear Governor Cuomo:
As a leading progressive organization in New York State, ACT NOW has worked for the past year in support of your proposal for the creation of a non-partisan redistricting commission and in support of your pledge to veto any district lines that come from a flawed, incumbent-driven process.
During that time, we have appreciated your efforts on independent redistricting and have been severely disappointed with the legislators who failed to enact your excellent plan. In particular, we are disheartened with the legislators who signed pledges during the 2010 election cycle stating their support for independent redistricting and then took positions in opposition to it during the 2011 Legislative Session.
As a result of the inaction of our legislators, the work of the Legislative Task Force on Redistricting and Reapportionment (LATFOR) was allowed to continue. This week, LATFOR released the first draft of the new district lines in New York State. Upon seeing the proposed LATFOR lines, we have a number of objections, that include:
• The creation of a 63rd State Senate district for the purpose of assisting State Senate Republicans in an election year.
• The deflated size of upstate, Republican leaning districts relative to downstate, Democratic leaning districts. The upstate districts have 292,000 residents, while downstate Senate districts have 315,000 or more.
• The apparently purposeful attempt to make existing Democratic State Senators run against each other. Although we encourage competition and believe that an independent process will result in increased competition, including existing legislators running against each other, this appears to have been a case of the State Senate Republicans acting in bad faith with the purpose of making electoral gains.
Clearly, the lines that have emerged from LATFOR, in addition to the flawed process by which they were drawn, are yet another reminder of the back room dealing and self-serving that has plagued Albany for years.
Today, we strongly urge you to uphold your commitment to veto these new district lines, as they have not been created through an independent process, but rather by incumbent politicians behind closed doors. We urge you to hold out for districts that are objectively drawn across the state. We believe that our current system, which allows legislators to craft their own district lines, is an affront to the democratic process and must end this year.
Yours in Progress,
The ACT NOW Board and Organizing Committee
ACT NOW PAC, Inc.
PO Box 204
Village Station
New York, NY 10014
phone: 212.714.7125
general e-mail: info@actnowny.org
CALL GOVERNOR CUOMO TODAY AT (518) 474-8390. URGE HIM TO STAND BY HIS PLEDGE TO VETO GERRYMANDERED DISTRICT LINES. NEW YORK NEEDS HONEST REDISTRICTING AND FAIR ELECTIONS!
The best news we’ve seen coming out of Cuomo’s office yet: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/27/new-york-redistricting-go_n_1236685.html
Keep those calls coming, guys! Veto! Veto! Veto!
We may get a fair result after all! But only if we hold Gov Cuomo to his promise. New Yorkers deserve it.
I called this afternoon and left a voicemail message. Many thanks for posting these lines. They obviously were drawn by someone who was either having a serious emotional breakdown, was on some very bad drugs, or–in the grand tradition of American political life–was an expert in gerrymandering.
My personal favorite is the district on the bottom right. It is truly a work of art! If there were a Gerrymandering Hall of Fame–and, actually, there should be–this proposed district would definitely be in it. But it really should be signed, just like a painting. We should know which world-class gerrymanderer (is that a word?) drew up this district.
Some blog that I saw called that district “a stork carrying a very big gift.”
Yeah, it’s just so blatant. And it looks like the Senate Republicans are punishing Mike Gianaris just like they punished Eric Schneiderman in 2002, except even worse, because he’ll have to run against Jose Peralta. Wrong in so many ways!
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/state-sen-michael-gianaris-calls-republican-redistricting-plan-horribly-partisan-article-1.1012090?localLinksEnabled=false
My favorite is the new one in the Hudson Valley, the bear walking to Montana.
Yes, let’s call the governor and insist that he hold out for objectively drawn lines, with equally populated districts, all over the state. Anything less means giving up on responsible government.
Could we have contests to name each proposed district? “A stork carrying a very big gift” is pretty good!
I called this morning, and someone took my zip code but not my name. I reminded her that the governor promised to veto.
Or maybe we could do haikus? This is my attempt at a haiku about “stork carrying large gift,” (lower right) although I went another direction:
Walker from Star Wars
Where are your other three legs?
AT-AT not happy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walker_(Star_Wars)
I plan on calling and e-mailing often. Governor Cuomo’s veto is all that stands between us and this farce. Let’s let the Governor know: New Yorkers will accept nothing less than fair elections!
I love the district naming contest! Fantastic idea!
I’m also thrilled to hear that Cuomo says he’ll veto this plan. But unfortunately, it’s only the first step. It seems to me the only way we’re going to get fair lines (or something somewhat closer to them) is if the lines are drawn by a court (assuming an independent panel isn’t going to happen). But it seems like right now, Cuomo will veto the lines and then the legislators will get another shot at drawing them. And that would make it really easy for them to basically send the same thing with a couple small tweaks and then for Cuomo to say it’s good enough and sign it.
So not only do we need to insist he vetoes this bill, but we need to make sure he vetoes EVERY bill that isn’t drawn up by an in dependent panel (in other words, every bill…) and make the courts be the one to draw the bill (and then we have to somehow convince the courts to use the Common Cause lines–how exhausting!!).
I’d like to call District 47 on the left “The Elegant Penguin.”
Lovely haiku, Heather!
I’ve been having trouble with District 26 (on the upper right) but I’ve finally got it: “The Squirrel Wearing a Visor.”