Insiders Scheming To Corrupt NY Elex

NEW York voters spoke out loudly and clearly last November for honest elections, defeating three ballot measures that sought to change the state Constitution to undermine ballot security. But Gov. Hochul and others are looking to corrupt our voting rules anyway. On Election Day, the public decisively defeated Propositions 1, 3 and 4. Prop 1 would’ve effectively ended the bipartisan redistricting commission that voters passed by referendum in 2017, and also given special protection to count illegal immigrants in redistricting. It lost 56 percent to 44 percent.

Prop 3, to allow same-day voter registration in a state that doesn’t require ID to vote, lost 58-42.

Prop 4, to legalize no-excuse absentee ballots, and so enable ballot harvesting, went down by 56-44.

These decisive victories for honest elections won support across all parties, ideologies, and areas of the state. Yet Hochul has chosen to ignore the voters’ will. The day before Thanksgiving, she signed a law to gut the work of the bipartisan, voter-approved redistricting commission and let simple majorities of the Democratic-controlled Legislature approve new redistricting lines.

Now left-wing groups that would benefit from ending New York’s two-party system are calling on lawmakers to end-run the voters who spoke in November, and pass essentially the reforms that the public just decisively rejected.

Hochul is on board: She’s called for statewide universal mail-in ballots, which is probably unconstitutional and would enable fraud and ballot harvesting to rig elections.

The governor’s plainly worried about protecting her left flank as she runs to keep her job next November. Learning nothing from the downfall of her corrupt mentor, exGov. Andrew Cuomo, she’s intent

ALLEN ROTH & JOHN MCLAUGHLIN

upon locking in undemocratic, corrupt one-party rule of New York.

And never mind the recent electoral successes — upstate, in the suburbs and even in New York City — of Republican-Conservative candidates opposing cashless bail, high taxes and excessive government mandates.

No wonder two thirds of all voters, 64 percent, say New York is on the wrong track.

Our statewide post-election poll of 600 voters who cast their ballots this past November examined the reasons for the defeat of Props 1, 3 & 4. It’s very clear: New York voters are committed to preventing election fraud and the rigging of the system to serve corrupt politicians.

Of those who voted No on sameday registration, 33 percent cited concerns for voter fraud and ballot security; 18 percent said there’s adequate time to register; 13 percent said it’s simply a bad idea, and 7 percent said they want to ensure all voters are legal.

On no-excuse mail-in absentees, thereasons for No votes were: fraud, 22 percent; saying you should have a legitimate reason for an absentee ballot, 13 percent; “simply don’t agree,” 12 percent; “you need to show up to vote,” also 12 percent.

The majority of all voters, 57 percent, said that the top priority should be protecting the integrity of elections to guard against fraud, vs. 39 percent whose top priority was expanding voter access and making it easier to vote.

In our July statewide poll, 56 percent of voters said that two-party balance serves better than oneparty control by the Democrats; only 30 percent said no. Asked which is the more secure method of voting, the overwhelming majority, 78 percent, said that voting in-person

No wonder two thirds of all voters . . . say New York is on the wrong track.

is more secure; only 8 percent who chose absentee mail-in ballots.

In our September poll of 600 voters, 88 percent said that corrupt politicians are a problem, with 58 percent saying “a serious problem. Only 7 percent saw no corruption problem. This really says it all.

Democracy and honest elections in New York are under attack, with Hochul taking up the cause postCuomo. New York voters need to be prepared to defend election integrity through requiring voter ID, in-person voting, no absentee mail-in ballots without a reasonable excuse and no noncitizen voting.

Defeating efforts to rig the system for corruption won’t be easy: Even when the voters in this “deep blue” state spoke loudly and clearly, the corrupt politicians keep attacking our democracy.

We need to protect a system where honest New Yorkers can vote the corrupt politicians out.

Indeed, if those voters don’t use that power soon, they may not get another chance.