Another Gerrymander Nightmare
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- November
- 7
Word has it today that a significant number of Yonkers voters were stunned when they went to vote at School 13 on McLean Avenue and discovered that the candidates they thought were on the ballot for the 88th Assembly race were gerrymandered out of their district.
Instead of having a choice between Republican Mike Spano and Democrat Shelley Mayer, the names on the ballot were Mount Vernon Assembly incumbent Gary Pretlow and Barbara Snyder, a Republican and 21-year-old college senior.
The problem is that even the most politically savvy voters in the district never knew that the district lines has been redrawn in 2002. Evidently, no one bothered to tell them that for four years they’ve been part of the 87 AD.
But that’s the way the system works, or rather, doesn’t work. The crazy quilt method of gerrymandering is done for only one reason: to insure that incumbents keep getting re-elected.
That’ bad enough. But failing to adequately inform the voters is a crime.
Another example of how democracy is in critical condition.
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on Tuesday, November 7th, 2006 at 2:34 pm by LoHudBlogs.com Admin.
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Check out today’s Editorial Observer column in the NYTimes by Lawrence Downes. Voter bullying in Yonkers by Nicky Spano’s troops. This definately needs more exposure. Nicky’s a poster piglet for time limits in public office.
Isn’t it time he got a real job?