New Yorkers Deserve Transparent Redistricting

The Legislature has disrespected the process put in place by voters in 2014 by planning to steamroll redistricting legislation through the Assembly and Senate.

Read the full statement of the League of Women Voters of New York below.

January 26, 2022 Submitted Via Email

Honorable Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Senate Temporary President and Majority Leader
Honorable Carl Heastie, Assembly Speaker
Honorable Robert Ortt, Senate Minority Leader
Honorable William Barclay, Assembly Minority Leader

Dear Messrs. Heastie, Ortt, Barclay and Ms. Stewart-Cousins:
Over the last months, thousands of New Yorkers participated in the redistricting process with the belief that their testimonies, comments, and proposed maps would contribute to the final maps. Now, after the Independent Redistricting Commission has failed to submit a second redistricting plan to the Legislature, the responsibility for drawing fair and truly representative legislative lines falls on state lawmakers. We are writing to you as leaders of the Legislature to remind you of your responsibilities to the public in the redistricting process.

The Legislature can introduce amendments to the plans first submitted by the Independent Redistricting Commission, which must comply with all Federal and state constitutional standards including the ban on partisan gerrymandering approved by the voters in 2014. Under state law, the Legislature’s plan must also not impact more than 2% of the population of any district contained in the Commission submitted plan that is being amended.

We urge the Legislature to publicly release the amended plan as well as the underlying data as soon as possible after it is proposed. That release should be followed by a period during which the public can review the proposed districts before any vote.

Communities impacted by the amendments, including those protected by the Voting Rights Act, should have the opportunity to offer input during a public hearing. We realize that the time for this will be limited, but it is important to demonstrate that the Legislature has the public interest in mind rather than partisan self-interest. The participation of so many New Yorkers in the process in the last year should not go to waste.
The redistricting process to date has failed to live up to voter expectations when they approved the 2014 Constitutional amendment. However, there is still time for the Legislature to demonstrate its commitment to transparency and adherence to the Constitutional standards approved by voters.

Sincerely,

Laura Ladd Bierman
Executive Director
League of Women Voters of New York State

Betsy Gotbaum
Executive Director
Citizens Union of the City of New York

John Kaehny
Executive Director
Reinvent Albany

New York's Climate Act Plan Recap

Peter Iwanowicz, Executive Director of Environmental Advocates NY and a Member of the New York Climate Action Council, provides an overview and analysis of the long awaited plan for the State of New York to implement New York's clean energy and greenhouse gas emission goals set forth in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. This January 12, 2022 program was co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Saratoga County & Sustainable Saratoga.

The video of this program can be viewed at this video link: https://youtu.be/9fYLEpCuFDg

Article: “LWV, Sustainable Saratoga host NYS climate act discussion,”Foothills Business Daily, Jan. 13, 2022: https://foothillsbusinessdaily.com/lwv-sustainable-saratoga-host-nys-climate-act-discussion/

Disappointing Redistricting Vote

Disappointed with the Independent Redistricting Commission Vote Along Party Lines

The League of Women Voters of New York .State, Citizens Union, and Reinvent Albany have sent a letter to the Independent Redistricting Commission in response to their January 3rd meeting.

Letter to the Redistricting Commission (submitted via email)
January 3, 2022

Dear Commissioners,

We are writing to express our disappointment with the results of today’s public meeting in which you cast five votes each along partisan lines for separate sets of Congressional and legislative maps. The failure of the Commission to collaboratively use the input from public comments and hearings across the State to develop a single set of maps constitutes an abdication of your responsibility as Commissioners.

When New Yorkers voted to approve the Independent Redistricting Commission in 2014, they did so with the hope and expectation that it would act independently of the incumbent legislature and curtail extreme partisan gerrymandering. Today’s failure of the Commission to set aside partisanship and collaborate comes at the expense of New York State residents. This is not inevitable deadlock; it is a dereliction of duty.

Thousands of New Yorkers have participated in the 2021 redistricting process with the belief that their testimonies, comments, and proposed maps would contribute to a united set of maps produced by an Independent Commission. New Yorkers were counting on you in this first-time process to approve one set of maps to be sent to the legislature. Unfortunately, that did not happen.

The next stage of the process will be the legislature voting on implementing legislation for at least one of the submitted plans, without amendment. If either house fails to approve the legislation or the Governor vetoes, then you will be asked to a submit a second set of plans. Only if that second plan fails to win approval is the legislature allowed to introduce amendments, which will need to comply with all constitutional standards including the ban on partisan gerrymandering put in by the voters in 2014.

If it is necessary for you to submit an additional plan to the legislature, we hope you will act collaboratively in the best interest of all the voters of this state by submitting a single plan.

Sincerely,

Laura Ladd Bierman
Executive Director, League of Women Voters of New York State

Betsy Gotbaum
Executive Director, Citizens Union of the City of New York

John Kaehny
Executive Director, Reinvent Albany

New redistricting maps must reflect voters' interests

Letter to the editor published in the Albany Times Union of December 10

The members of the One Person, One Vote Coalition, which includes the Albany, Saratoga, and Rensselaer County League of Women Voters as well as the Albany LatinFest Association, the NAACP Branches of Albany and Troy, the Capital Area Council of Churches and The Capital Area Urban League, are pleased that the state Independent Redistricting Commission has set Jan. 3 as the date for adoption of its maps to be submitted to the Legislature. This early date minimizes the potentially serious problem of the legislative and congressional districts not being finalized before the 2022 election process is underway.

However, we are concerned with the commission's inability so far to agree on one set of maps for the new congressional, senate and assembly districts. It is critical if the constitutional process is to work that the commission not repeat the issuance of two sets of maps, one supported by the Democratic-aligned commissioners and the other by the Republican-aligned commissioners.

It is the view of this coalition that failure to agree on maps that reflect the interests of the citizenry of New York makes all the work of the commission meaningless. Finally, we urge both the commission and the Legislature to adopt maps that are based on the interests of the voters, not based on the interests of the political parties, their officeholders and candidates.

Patricia Sibilia
Slingerlands
President, League of Women Voters Albany County

League of Women Voters is political, not partisan

Viewpoint published in Times Union, Oct. 27, 2021, p. A8
By Monica M. Seebode

As another election season approaches, the League of Women Voters of Saratoga County is taking this opportunity to clear up some inaccuracies and misconceptions provided to and reported by the local press.

From its founding in 1920, the league has followed stringent protocols to ensure that we function as a political organization supporting policies and programs deemed necessary for keeping a democracy inclusive and vibrant — which it currently is not. “Political” is not to be confused with “partisan”; we are not aligned with any political party, nor do we ever endorse or oppose a particular candidate as an organization. Women’s rights, systemic racism, and climate change, for example, are not partisan issues; they are quality-of-life issues for all Americans.

As a national organization, founded over 100 years ago, we do not take a stand on any issue until we reach consensus among our members in over 700 communities across the U.S — in so-called “red” and “blue” states. All have an equal voice in the decision to support or oppose a position; the process is laborious and even painful at times, but we continue to research and discuss the issue at hand until all can accept the outcome. It is a microcosm of how democracy should work, rather than a partisan platform being handed down for others to blindly support without engaging in critical thinking. Our Congress would do well to consider this model rather than the partisan divide currently plaguing our governance.

We attract members because we are nonpartisan. We suspect we’ve had people of all political parties, ages, and genders in leadership roles. However, we do not solicit, collect or maintain such data on any member. Any such information being distributed is unauthorized and unverified.

Our volunteers organize and conduct candidate forums each year to allow voters the opportunity to evaluate candidates’ suitability to serve. (Note: Because the league tries to avoid divisive politics, we no longer use the term “debate.”) When COVID prevented safe gatherings, we moved to online forums. Our goal is always to empower voters to make informed decisions, which is why questions are solicited from the audience. We applaud everyone who wants to serve in any office, especially those who participate in these forums. Those who decline are denying potential constituents their right to cast an informed ballot — the very foundation of any representative government.

We are a highly transparent organization as well. We have an extensive online presence, including a comprehensive website where our consensus process and related positions are posted. Our “Member Resources” page is open to nonmembers as well. We invite you to check us out at www. lwvsaratoga.org/member-resources . And consider joining our growing membership of those who believe this country can and should do better in achieving justice and equity under the law for all citizens.

▶ Monica M. Seebode of Saratoga Springs is president of the Saratoga County League of Women Voters.