Comments on: Consequences Of Redistricting Dysfunction http://capitaltonightny.ynn.com/2012/08/consequences-of-redistricting-dysfunction/ NY's only statewide political program Tue, 21 May 2013 18:42:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Michael A. Benjamin http://capitaltonightny.ynn.com/2012/08/consequences-of-redistricting-dysfunction/comment-page-1/#comment-37860 Michael A. Benjamin Fri, 17 Aug 2012 01:43:00 +0000 http://capitaltonightny.ynn.com/?p=79780#comment-37860 One problem with your cautionary tale, federal courts have had a hand in the last three Congressional reapportionments. Perhaps, this year unlike the previous two times the courts forced the Legislature to act, the federal court's special master didn't provide the detailed metes and bounds that a redistricting bill would have provided. In 2002, I supervised the Bronx BOE implementation of that year's redrawn districts. I recall that among the anomalies were uninhabited election districts and a traffic island that wasn't in any district. I don't understand why the residents of Ballston Spa didn't make a stink about being disenfrainchised when candidates and the media took the NYC BOE to task for an incomplete election night tally in NY-13. And as it turned out, no eligible voters were disenfranchised in the process. An entire village is denied the opportunity to vote because a clerical error stemming from gross incompetence in the digital age. And it only comes to light because someone corrected Rep. Doheny for omitting Ballston Spa. And all it rate is reference as a "cautionary tale." I beg to differ. One problem with your cautionary tale, federal courts have had a hand in the last three Congressional reapportionments. Perhaps, this year unlike the previous two times the courts forced the Legislature to act, the federal court’s special master didn’t provide the detailed metes and bounds that a redistricting bill would have provided. In 2002, I supervised the Bronx BOE implementation of that year’s redrawn districts. I recall that among the anomalies were uninhabited election districts and a traffic island that wasn’t in any district.

I don’t understand why the residents of Ballston Spa didn’t make a stink about being disenfrainchised when candidates and the media took the NYC BOE to task for an incomplete election night tally in NY-13. And as it turned out, no eligible voters were disenfranchised in the process. An entire village is denied the opportunity to vote because a clerical error stemming from gross incompetence in the digital age. And it only comes to light because someone corrected Rep. Doheny for omitting Ballston Spa. And all it rate is reference as a “cautionary tale.” I beg to differ.

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