To the editor:

You may have noticed that Democrat leaders in Washington – President Biden, Senator Chuck Schumer, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi – have repeatedly called for enactment of legislation dubbed the “For the People Act”. So important is this bill to House Democrats that they’ve introduced it as H.R. 1. The bill purports to reform state and federal election laws to encourage voting.

Republicans disagree. We oppose federalizing state election laws and ballot procedures and believe that many provisions are unconstitutional. The bill has no chance of enactment, but it has become a big talking point for those on the left.

Prominent among its provisions is a requirement that the states adopt independent redistricting commissions and the bill purports to outlaw “gerrymandering”. This is the process where one party draws legislative and congressional district lines to favor its candidates. I can state from long experience that the public pays little attention to redistricting; politicians of both parties, however, pay a great deal of attention.

Democrats in Washington, including Congressman Antonio Delgado, repeatedly voice their opposition to gerrymandering and say they want independent redistricting.

Yet those same Washington Democrats, along with their Albany allies, are now attempting to pass a state constitutional amendment which will make it easier to gerrymander legislative and congressional districts to favor their party.

The amendment – Proposition 1 – on the ballot this November is a long, convoluted change to the existing redistricting provisions in our state constitution. However, the real purpose – intentionally obscured to confuse the uninitiated – is to remove bipartisan protections and voting procedures which govern New York’s Independent Redistricting Commission.

In 2014, New York voters – prodded by former Mayor Ed Koch – adopted a constitutional amendment which created an independent commission on redistricting.

That amendment, for the first time in our history, established standards which requires districts to respect communities of interest and jurisdictional boundaries. Districts also cannot be drawn to favor certain candidates or political parties. The amendment was a bipartisan compromise, and while not perfect, was far better than what previously existed.

The new process is supposed to go into effect for the 2022 election. With their majorities in the legislature, Democrats have now placed on the ballot a new constitutional amendment which attempts to rig the redistricting process in their favor. Pure hypocrisy.

They’ve also placed two other constitutional amendments on the ballot, Proposition 3 creating same-day voter registration and Proposition 4 permitting “no-excuse” absentee voting. Both these provisions will hamper election administration, delay election results in close elections and make it easier to commit voter fraud.

The presidential election in 2020 was very close, as was the election in 2016. A few thousand votes in three or four states would have changed the outcome each time. But neither election was determined by fraud, though pandemic-related election changes raised suspicions among many.

Washington and Albany Democrats are attempting to turn New York into a one-party state with their proposed redistricting amendment. Other constitutional changes will harm our political process by delaying election outcomes in close elections and cause doubts about election integrity. Propositions 1, 3, and 4 should be defeated.

John Faso, Former U.S. Representative, NY-19
John J. Faso is a former Congressman who also served as Republican Leader of the state Assembly. He was also GOP candidate for governor in 2006.