Despite testimony from its citizens stating the unfairness and illegality of their redistricting maps, the Hempstead Town Board approved them on Valentine's Day.
Every 10 years, every town, county, assembly, senate and congressional districts are redistricted. The Town of Hempstead redistricts the Town, Nassau County Legislature redistricts the Nassau County Legislature, the state Senate redistricts the state Senate, the state Assembly redistricts the Assembly and the state legislature redistricts congressional districts for the next 10 years.
For the record, the process called gerrymandering has been and is still used - at all levels of local, state and Federal government - and by both Democrats and Republicans to redraw district lines for their party's own purposes.
This post provides general information about the subject and then focuses our attention on how the current Republican majority on the Hempstead Town Board is using gerrymandering to draw lines that favor their party's agenda.
My intention in presenting this matter is to provide us with the facts and let us - the voters - decide for ourselves what's fair and unfair...AND THEN ACT! See "VOTE WITH OUR FEET" below...
THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO HELPED WITH THIS POST!!!
In a hurry?
--Using North Carolina as an example, it shows how elections were won by using two
of the gerrymandering techniques: Packing and Cracking. This information and more
is explained below in the section entitled
"EXHIBIT F: THE MAN WHO RIGGED AMERICA'S ELECTION MAPS."
2. Read the 2 letters in sections "Exhibit B" and "Exhibit C" to see how gerrymandering is affecting our Town of Hempstead politics.
3. Just "hear" to listen to the music? Scroll down to "Exhibit E" and you'll be prepared when we're marching in the streets...
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POST OUTLINE
BACKGROUND/NEWS ARTICLES
EXHIBIT A: Town of Hempstead's Lack of Transparency
EXHIBIT B: Attorneys' letter challenging the maps
EXHIBIT C: Political party's letter challenging the maps
EXHIBIT D: Terms and Conditions
EXHIBIT E: Sing & Learn Time
EXHIBIT F: The Man Who Rigged America's Election Maps
Cartoon Break
EXHIBIT G: Backrooms...Dark Alleys...Behind Closed Doors...
Vote with our Feet (action steps)
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BACKGROUND/NEWS ARTICLES
Despite requests from its residents, the Town of Hempstead was not willing to redraw it's proposed redistricting maps. By law, it's required to review these every Census year. To make matters worse, the Town leaders were not very transparent in their dealings with their residents and only when pressured did they agree to hold public hearings...BUT,
Without offering them on Zoom...
Holding some of these during the days when folks are working...and,
Holding the final hearing on VALENTINE'S DAY... and an evening meeting at that.
CURRENT NEWS ARTICLES
“The league (of Women Voters) takes positions on a variety of policy issues, but never supports or opposes any political party or candidate,” Moskowitz said. “Our review of the commission’s proposed maps reveals deliberate manipulation of district lines.”
"The last time officials got together to redraw district lines, it was done to benefit legislators without any concern for the needs of Nassau County communities, said Karen Moskowitz, co-chair of the League of Women Voters of Nassau County’s redistricting committee — specifically communities of color."
(from the article - with my added emphasis)
Since the first day of the redistricting process, the concerns raised by opponents to the initial town-drawn maps circle back to a single theme: District lines should be redrawn to have a more balanced demographic representation. That means creating three “minority-majority” districts, that would allow minority communities a chance to elect someone who would be more likely to represent them on the town board.
For example, 90 percent of Elmont’s population are people of color. However, the current map proposal places Elmont in a district with Garden City, which has an 88 percent white population.
Placing Elmont in a district with neighborhoods they have nothing in common with dilutes the votes of its residents and impairs the outcome of elections...
Critics also questioned the map’s compliance with federal and state voting rights protections — specifically the Voting Rights Act and New York’s John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act. If Hempstead finalizes the current map as it stands, it could expose the town to costly litigation at the taxpayers’ expense.
“This is socioeconomic racism to the core — disenfranchisement and blatant discrimination,” said Pearl Jacobs, a Uniondale resident and president of the Nostrand Gardens Civic Association.
“I really hope that this goes to the courts so they can shed a light, nationwide, on the racism that occurs in Nassau County.”
THE NEWLY APPROVED MAPS DO NOT REFLECT THE TOWN'S CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS...
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EXHIBIT A: Town of Hempstead's Lack of Transparency
Jerry on "Jerrymandering"
As stated at the beginning, there's been a significant lack of transparency as the redrawing process was rolling out. Here's more: one of the comments on the iPetitions.com site (see link to sign at the end of post)
"Don Clavin's redistricting process has been a sham. No posts on social media, no mailings. Information about redistricting wasn't put on the event calendar until residents complained. The only time an email dedicated to redistricting was sent is when one of the meetings was rescheduled.
Essentially Don Clavin DID NOT want residents to know about this process."
According to its own policy, the Town is supposed to post notices about its public meetings. I checked on Feb. 12 @ 1:15 PM and there wasn't any info about the Feb. 14 (Valentine's Day) public meeting on the proposed redistricting plan. All they showed was last Tuesday's meeting (Feb. 7). See for yourself.
Voters are like mushrooms...keep 'em in the dark and feed 'em bullshit.
This humorous but serious quote reminded me of yet another lack of transparency that was brought up at one of the public hearings I attended. A resident addressed the Town Board members stating that while they spent taxpayers' money with multiple mailings about their Christmastime "Mulchfest" and they did NOTHING to inform us about the public hearings on their proposed redistricting plans.
I was amazed but not surprised to discover some interesting connections between Christmas traditions like trees and mushrooms. See the articles I've included in the "Extra Resources" section at the end of the post.
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EXHIBIT B: Attorneys' letter sent Jan. 9, 2023 to the Town Board
--At one of the recent public hearings, I received a 10-page letter that cited these statistics:
"...over 38% of of the Town's population is Black or Latino, but Black and Latino voters are only afforded an opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice in one out of the six districts (only 16.7% of the seats)."
"Over the last 10 years, the Town's white population has fallen dramatically from 68.3% in 2010 to 53.7% in 2020, while the combined Black and Latino population has grown from 33.9% in 2010 to 38.5% in 2020. Notwithstanding these significant demographic shifts, the Commission's December 20, 2022 proposal maintains five majority-white districts (83.3% of the seats) and only one majority-Black district (16.7% of the seats). This proposal will perpetuate severe under-representation of Black and Latino voters on the Town Council."
Letter sent by signatories from: Legal Defense Fund, Law Offices of Frederick K. Brewington, Newman Ferrara LLP and LatinoJustice PRLDEF
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EXHIBIT C: Political party's letter challenging the legality of the maps
This letter sent to the Town Board presents a concise explanation of the why the proposed and now approved maps are unfair and potentially illegal and will likely be challenged in court. The added emphases are mine.
January 24, 2023
Supervisor Donald Clavin
Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby
Councilman Thomas Muscarella
Councilwoman Melissa Miller
Councilman Chris Carini
Councilman Dennis Dunne
Re: Redistricting
Dear Supervisor Clavin and Town Board:
The Bellmore Merrick Democratic Club fights for social justice in the Town of Hempstead and throughout our country. We write to request the Town of Hempstead establish fair and equitable districts in compliance with NYS Municipal Law, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and in the spirit of the NYS John R. Lewis Act that was passed in June of 2022.
According to the 2023 census, 47% of the Town is populated by people of color, legally defined as the “protected class.” However, currently only 16.7% of the Town’s protected class has a representative on this board. Our tax dollars paid for a map that favors incumbents. However, five maps were submitted to the Temporary Redistricting Commission by the Elmont Cultural Center and attorneys from the law office of Fred Brewington, the Legal Defense Fund, Newman Ferrara and Latino Justice that provide an opportunity for the protected class to elect a representative of their choice.
Violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is established if a political subdivision creates districts wherein “the ability of members of the protected class to elect candidates of their choice or to influence the outcome of elections is impaired.” Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act requires “that if there is racially polarized voting and if a minority opportunity district can be drawn, then it must be drawn.” Ninety percent (90%) of Elmont, for example, is populated by people of color. Yet, the maps submitted by the Republican commissioners place Elmont in a district with Garden City, clearly diluting the votes of Elmont residents and impairing the outcome of elections.
Hundreds of your constituents attended and/or commented on the Redistricting Commission’s proposed maps. People told heart-wrenching stories of how hard they and their ancestors fought for the right to have a vote that counted. Putting the protected class with districts in which they have nothing in common, dilutes their vote, racially discriminates and is in violation of federal and state laws. Yet, the motion made by the Redistricting Commission for the Town Board to only consider keeping communities whole is totally deaf to what your constituents plead. It does not ask that the Board consider the changing demographics and the need to comply with voting rights acts with respect to the protected class. Keeping communities together is preferred, but not mandated.
Five of the six maps being considered by the Redistricting Commission create three majority-minority districts. According to the prevalent voting rights acts, if three minority districts can be drawn, then three minority districts must be drawn.
We, therefore, ask you to consider the five maps submitted by the Elmont Cultural Center and the aforementioned attorneys and establish three majority minority districts in accordance with federal and state laws.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Very truly yours,
Claudia Borecky
Bellmore-Merrick Democratic Club
Redistricting Committee Chair
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EXHIBIT D: Terms and Conditions
Terms
a) Redistricting
b) Gerrymandering
c) Cracking
d) Packing
e) Majority/Minority Districts
a) Redistricting
Every 10 years, every town, county, assembly, senate and congressional districts are redistricted. The Town of Hempstead redistricts the Town, Nassau County Legislature redistricts the Nassau County Legislature, the state Senate redistricts the state Senate, the state Assembly redistricts the Assembly and the state legislature redistricts congressional districts for the next 10 years.
--This concise article explains the key points.
Congressional Redistricting: Every 10 years, the U.S. Census Bureau releases a new census, which documents population growth patterns across the country. In order to reflect the new census, states must redraw their district lines.
b) Gerrymandering
Is the practice of one party drawing a congressional map designed to maximize their share of seats in a given state (or other jurisdiction).
c) Cracking
In redistricting, cracking refers to the practice of drawing electoral districts that divide the population of a community or constituency across several districts. In doing so, the influence of the community or constituency may be reduced, preventing the group from forming a voting block within any single district sufficient to elect the group's preferred candidates. This practice contrasts with packing...(see next section)
d) Packing
The population of a community or constituency is consolidated within a small number of districts, thereby minimizing its influence in other districts. Cracking and packing may be used in conjunction to minimize the influence of a particular voting bloc to benefit another, a practice referred to as gerrymandering.[1][2][3]
e) Majority-Minority District
A majority-minority district is a district in which a racial minority group or groups comprise a majority of the district's total population. Using data provided in the United States Census Bureau's 2021 American Community Survey and based on districts enacted after the 2010 census, the United States was home to 138 congressional majority-minority districts. This represented approximately 32% of the nation's 435 U.S. House districts.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act mandates that no "standard, practice, or procedure shall be imposed or applied by any State or political subdivision to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color." In the context of redistricting, federal law provides that majority-minority districts can be created in order to prevent the dilution of minorities' voting strength in compliance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Thornburg v. Gingles, a case decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1986, established a three-part test for proving whether vote dilution in violation of the Voting Rights Act has occurred in a district or districts.[7]
Source: BallotPedia (see full article for footnotes)
Conditions (i.e., "results")
Bottom Line: Power and Money get moved into new hands - by those trying to call the shots by redrawing the lines to suit their party and their purposes...
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EXHIBIT E: Sing & Learn Time
Comments posted under these next 2 song-videos indicate that teachers are showing them in schools. KUDOS!!!
Readers: I had to transcribe the lyrics as no one as yet had posted them.
We got kind of nervous as we read the polling news
'Cause we sure need our paychecks, perks and titles, too
We looked at the addresses where we lost the vote and such
And then we had a great idea that wasn't cheatin' much
Just change the boundaries, redraw the lines
People in these districts vote the same way every time
We'll move the borders and we will dominate
First, take away the people's choice
And then we'll rule the state
These precincts came about through logic or geography
They're not carved in stone and so there's flexibility
Our party has to hold the state if we're to change the tide
No one will ever beat us with new districts on our side
Just change the boundaries, redraw the lines
People in these districts vote the same way every time
We'll move the borders and we will dominate
First, take away the people's choice
And then we'll rule the state
To steal elections...discriminate
Well the other party may fight 'em
But it will be too late
We'll blame the others, as we denominate
And we'll hold all the purse strings
By coincidence or fate...
Just change the boundaries, redraw the lines
People in these districts vote the same way every time
We'll move the borders and we will dominate
First, take away the people's choice
And then we'll rule the state
"Representative democracy in USA...we elect legislators...that's how laws are made
Four-hundred, thirty-five reps in Congress
Means four-hundred, thirty-five districts among us
But how do we decide who represents who?
We draw lines on a map, that's what we do.
District population should be roughly the same
So every vote counts in in the very same way
Keep communities together so every voice id heard
Since populations move, shift, shrink and expand
We get some data every census
And then we draw them again
So politicians are accountable
To every last woman and man
On-screen lyrics stop here at 0:44
Look here at these private money-changing hands to change each redistricting plan
We have to wonder what special interests state legislators (or Town) have in mind when they draw the lines...
CHORUS
C'mon!
PACKING
CRACKING
KIDNAPPING
HIJACKING
We decide how we divide
Bleach this district
Redraw the lines
If you want your party to win it ALL
But a whole lot of voters say, "NO!"
Just redraw those lines when it's election time
They're all cracked up
I'm cracking up
When the opposition is more widespread
You don't want to lose more
Just draw the nay's all in one place
Yeah! Pack 'em up!
Just pack 'em up!
C'mon!
PACKING
CRACKING
KIDNAPPING
HIJACKING
We decide how we divide
Bleach this district
Redraw the lines
You've got to draw the lines somewhere
But you can't just draw them anywhere
One man? One man? One vote?
That's ridiculous!
You're voice must be heard
If you really want an incumbent's seat
Just draw her home in someone else's zone
Kidnap her house
Hijack her out
And if you don't care about minorities
And you don't want to work for their vote
Keep 'em far away and they won't have a say
Don't you reach out
Just bleach them out
These days people are getting so much static
From both parties Republican and Democratic
They won't stop fighting
The people have had it
But they do agree on one thing
Oh, that's fantastic!
It's tragic,,,they want something...they grab it!
When you cast your vote
They're in the back room laughing
If you want to see bi-partisan tactics...
Just
CRACK IT
PACK IT
Go ahead and
KIDNAP IT
PACKING
CRACKING
KIDNAPPING
HIJACKING
We decide how we divide
Bleach this district
Redraw the lines"
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EXHIBIT F: THE MAN WHO RIGGED AMERICA'S ELECTION MAPS
Here's a 7.5 minute video lesson about gerrymandering.
Using North Carolina as an example, it shows how elections were won by using two of the gerrymandering techniques: Packing and Cracking.
It shows how once the gerrymandering produced its desired results, legislation favored by the "winning" party could be enacted.
(from this video) In 2016 and 2017, Federal courts ruled these maps not only gerrymandering but racial gerrymandering done to dilute the voting power of Black people.
Since Hofeller's racial gerrymandering attempts were declared unconstitutional, he was asked to devise a different strategy: use gerrymandered cracking and packing by political party (i.e., partisan gerrymandering).
This time, the Supreme Court said it wasn't their job to fix it...BUT, their ruling left open the possibility for state courts to rule on partisan gerrymandering. And that's exactly what the North Carolina State Court did in Sept. 2019. And it was Hofeller's files that proved the party had drawn these lines with the clear intention of benefiting themselves.
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CARTOON BREAK
This is NOT a “bored” game...It's serious...
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EXHIBIT G: Backrooms...Dark Alleys...Behind Closed Doors...
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VOTE WITH OUR FEET
Town of Hempstead Redistricting Comments Form (still available as of 2/22/23)
Petition Tell Supervisor Clavin to Stop Racial Discrimination in the Town of Hempstead (iPetitions.com) (still available as of 2/22/23)
Write to your local newspaper
Contact your elected officials
Town of Hempstead - follow the links for emails and phone numbers
Contact your local civic association
--Currently, there isn't ONE place to find links to these...so, you'll need to ask friends and family for the name of your local association and find their contact info online.
NOTE: On the Town of North Hempstead's official page they offer a list of all their civic and community support associations.
C'mon, Town of Hempstead, let's do the same!!!
Involve your circles of friends, co-workers...
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EXTRA RESOURCES
--I tweaked the original song for this post
Please read my Full Disclosure before checking out the next two articles:
#music #humor #redistricting #Gerrymandering #TownOfHempstead #ChrisAnderson #ProPublica #GratefulDead #JerryGarcia #GenePitney #MapmakerGame #ThomasHofeller #DonClavin #TownOfNorthHempstead #LIHerald #NorthCarolina #BellmoreMerrickDemocraticClub #ClaudiaBorecky #Hobbits #LordOfTheRings #ChristmasTrees #Mulchfest #mushrooms
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