BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) - Some of New York's top republican officials are pushing back on statewide proposals which voters will decide on when they vote starting this weekend or on November 2.
Most voters in the state will see five amendments on the back of the ballot. You can read the full text of the proposals by clicking here, though we've posted what you will see on the ballot below:
Proposal Number One - Amending the Apportionment and Redistricting Process
"This proposed constitutional amendment would freeze the number of state senators at 63, amen the process for the counting of the state's population, delete certain provisions that violate the United States Constitution, repeal, and amend certain requirements for the appointment of the co-executive directors of the redistricting commission and amend the manner of drawing district lines for congressional and state legislative offices. Shall the proposed amendment be approved?"
State Republican Chairman Nick Langworthy said this proposition would "absolutely gut the independence of the independent redistricting commission" which is working on new district maps for the next decade.
"Democrats in Albany apparently aren't satisfied with the amount of power they have," Langworthy said. "They want to kneecap this commission in the middle of its work. They would put a referendum in place that would strip a lot of the independence of that commission in the middle of their process on the ballot and masquerading it as good government. You have to go out and vote no on that."
Proposal Number Three - Eliminating Ten-Day Advance Voter Registration Requirement
"The proposed amendment would delete the current requirement in Article II, Section 5 that a citizen be registered to vote at least ten days before an election and would allow the Legislature to enact laws permitting a citizen to register to vote less than ten days before the election. Shall the proposed amendment be approved?"
Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt criticized this proposal because he pushed for Voter ID laws that democrats have opposed in the state, even offering no-cost IDs for voters.
"There is absolutely no excuse why democrats in the assembly and senate can't put forward and give the public a chance to vote on Voter ID," Ortt said. "Same-day voter registration is going to cause chaos for our boards of elections. We've already seen the chaos caused by multiple changes. Look no further than the rank-choice voting in the New York City debacle this past couple of months for the mayoral race."
Proposal Number Four - Authorizing No-Excuse Absentee Ballot Voting
"The proposed amendment would delete from the current provision on absentee ballots the requirement that an absentee voter must be unable to appear at the polls by reason of absence from the county or illness or physical disability. Shall the proposed amendment be approved?"
The republican leaders claim no-excuse absentee ballot voting will add to election chaos. Langworthy claimed it could lead to ballot harvesting, where outside groups would go door-to-door and "intimidate voters" into handing over their ballots and vote the way the groups see fit.
Listen to their full comments below:
