Posted on 09/23/2023 10:28:01 AM PDT by John Semmens
This week Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) signed 10 voting reform bills passed by the Democrat majority legislature. She asserted that "we are safeguarding the integrity of our electoral process and ensuring equal access to the ballot box, we empower every New Yorker to have their voice heard. New York State remains committed to strengthening our democratic process, championing the right to vote for every citizen and cementing our place as a national leader on voting rights."
The New York Republican State Committee, the Republican National Committee, and the National Republican Congressional Committee have filed a lawsuit challenging a portion of the "reforms." Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) pointed out that "authorizing expanded absentee balloting directly contradicts the will of the people expressed in a 2021 referendum where voters opted to retain the state constitution's requirement that "votes be cast in person at their designated polling places unless the voter is unable to do so due to being outside their county of residence or if they are ill or have a physical disability."
Hochul countered the objections, saying "voters elected Democrats to control the legislature in 2022. This gives us the power to change these laws as we see fit. Experience has shown that the modifications that were used during the covid pandemic expanded the number of ballots that were cast. We have also removed the inconvenience of having to register to vote ahead of casting a ballot because this discourages spontaneity."
"One of the reasons for registering in advance is to be able to determine if that person is also registered in another state," Stefanik said. "Democracy means one-person-one vote. Purging the rolls of duplicates helps maintain this. Same day registration when casting a ballot undermines this safeguard."
"If a person is in New York that person has a right to vote in our elections," Hochul argued. "What is it to us whether that person may be voting somewhere else? I can see very good reasons why someone should be entitled to vote in different states. Suppose you're a resident of one and a college student in another. Your life is affected by the laws of both states. Why shouldn't you vote in both?"
Meanwhile in Pennsylvania, Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) announced that "I am authorizing automatic voter registration for everyone with a Pennsylvania driver's license. It is a commitment I made when I ran for governor. It makers our vote-by-mail elections more secure." So far, the automatic feature has registered 11,000 non-citizens. Commonwealth Court President Judge Mary Hannah Leavitt pointed out that "the state constitution requires in-person voting. Changing this must be preceded by amending the constitution. It cannot legally be done by executive decree nor by a simple legislative majority."
If you missed any of the other Semi-News/Semi-Satire posts you can find them at...
https://www.gopbriefingroom.com/index.php/topic,513296.0.html
By that line of reasoning, I should be able to vote in the next county over too bc I have rental property there and thus a vested interest.
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