Gov. Kathy Hochul and fellow Democrats failed spectacularly last year in their bid to snub voters and rig congressional- districts maps. So, of course, they’re trying again this year.
On Thursday, an appellate panel will hear their argument for a special new round of redistricting, claiming the maps produced last year only applied only to 2022.
It’s nonsense on stilts, of course, which is why the Albany County Supreme Court shot it down.
But this time, devious Dems have a plot that could prove successful — voters be damned.
Last year, Democrats tried to ram through gerrymandered maps that were supposed to result in just four Republican House seats from New York (of 26).
That defied language voters inserted in the state Constitution in 2014 that expressly forbid gerrymandering.
The courts then threw out their maps (natch) and appointed a special master to draw up fair ones, which led Republicans to win 11 seats instead of four — and helped return the House to the GOP.
Now Dems want another chance to gerrymander, in defiance of voters once again.
And once again, their claim — that last year’s maps need to be redrawn — flies in the face of constitutional language, this time banning mid-decade redistricting.
Such a move would also confuse voters, many of whom could find themselves in another new district, after shifting last year.
Last year, Democrats tried to ram through gerrymandered maps that were supposed to result in just four Republican House seats from New York (of 26).Paul Martinka
Of course, Dems don’t care about that; they’re determined to rig the maps and lock in Democratic control everywhere.
And this time they’ve got an ace in the hole: a Court of Appeals (the state’s highest court) led by a chief judge, Rowan Wilson, chosen expressly for his progressive bona fides.
Far-left lawmakers rejected Hochul’s first pick for the position, Hector LaSalle, because they couldn’t count on him to flout the law and do their bidding. (It’s true: They virtually admitted as much.)
If Dems now lose at the appellate level — and they plainly should — they figure they’ll just get the Court of Appeals to greenlight a new round of gerrymandering that could shut out Republicans again.
Far-left lawmakers rejected Hochul’s first pick for the position, Hector LaSalle, because they couldn’t count on him to flout the law and do their bidding.Hans Pennink
That is, they rigged the high court so they can rig the maps.
The Dems’ one-party rule has saddled New York with high crime rates, soaring taxes, ailing schools and a host of other woes.
If they get away with their new bid to gerrymander and lock in Democratic congressional seats, it’ll not only snub voters but also help transport their disastrous policies to Washington.
Source link: https://nypost.com/2023/06/04/return-of-the-hochulmander-dems-are-intent-on-rigging-the-vote-again/