Griffo statement on signing of redistricting legislation

“This past Wednesday, when most New Yorkers were either traveling or preparing their home for a Thanksgiving visit from family and friends, Gov. Hochul signed into law legislation that would alter the state’s redistricting process. This directly contradicts the will of the people who less than four weeks ago decided that the state’s redistricting process should be left unchanged. 

The bill in question grants more power to the legislative majorities in the redistricting process by demanding that any and all information from the Independent Redistricting Commission be transferred to the Legislature in the event that the commission is unable to agree upon new districts for the Assembly, state Senate and Congress. This is problematic as it creates an incentive – and a tactic – for one contingent of the commission to not to come to an agreement on the drawing of electoral districts and places the process firmly in the hands of the majority parties, which the voters of this state agree to be a bad idea. Additionally, based on a report from the New York Times earlier this fall, it opens the door for the Democrat majorities in Albany to undermine the redistricting process in a way that favors them, not the public.  

If the governor and other Albany insiders want to know why there is such a high level of distrust in government, it is moments like this – a bill being signed when no one is looking – that are the reason for their dissatisfaction. The governor has had three months to ‘change the culture of Albany.’ Unfortunately, changing the culture of Albany is about what you do, not what you say, and what Gov. Hochul has done here is nothing more than Albany business as usual.” 

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