


Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York Democrats are once again snubbing voters and flouting the state Constitution, this time with their new “mail-in-on-demand” voting law.
On Wednesday, the gov signed the Democrats’ bill, which says any registered New Yorker can vote by mail on demand.
Republicans sued instantly, pointing out that New York’s Constitution allows only two acceptable excuses for not casting your ballot in person at the polls: being away or otherwise physically unable to vote in person.
So why didn’t the gov and her party-mates set out to amend the state Constitution first?
Oh, right: They did, putting a proposal to do so on the ballot back in 2021 — which the public nixed solidly, 55%-45%.
New Yorkers clearly stand behind the constitutional requirement to show up to vote, if you’re able to.
And with good reason: Mail-in voting is more prone to fraud, for starters.
Plus, anyone who truly cares about their government and sees voting as a sacred right shouldn’t mind traveling a few blocks to cast their vote at a polling place.
So the Legislature’s Democratic supermajorities, and Hochul, decided: To hell with voters. To hell with the Constitution. Maybe the state courts will let us get away with it.
Rather than try to persuade New Yorkers to change their minds, they simply rammed through this new “state law.”
This echoes their arrogance in ramming through gerrymandered voting districts to disenfranchise voters of both parties — an effort they’re still pursuing despite court defeats.
In 2014, voters passed a constitutional amendment strictly prohibiting gerrymandering — and reaffirmed their will by rejecting another ballot proposal to loosen the rules in 2021.
No matter. Dems gerrymandered anyway last year, producing maps aimed at shrinking the GOP’s New York House seats to just four, of 26.
Republicans sued and won at trial; Dems’ appeal failed in the state’s top court, the Court of Appeals: A court-appointed special master drew up fair maps, leading to 11 GOP seats.
But Dems haven’t given up: Progressives have since tried to pack the top court with more biddable jurists and to get it to OK new gerrymanders starting in 2024.
Democrats keep thundering that democracy is under threat, but in New York (at least), they’re the ones threatening it.