Lawsuit joined by Members of the NY Delegation, RNC, NRCC, New York GOP, and Conservative Party of New York State
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, September 20th, 2023
Washington, DC— Today, House GOP Chairwoman Elise Stefanik and a Republican and Conservative coalition, which includes members of the New York Republican Congressional delegation, sued Gov. Kathy Hochul and the State of New York for attempting to remove basic safeguards on absentee voting and allowing unregulated mass mail ballots in clear violation of the state constitution. You can read the Complaint filed in court here.
House GOP Chairwoman Elise Stefanik has released the following statement:
“Kathy Hochul and extreme New York Democrats are trying to destroy what is left of election integrity in New York. Under Kathy Hochul’s failed leadership, elections are less secure and less transparent and will now be unconstitutional. As a New York voter, I am proud to lead this coalition in defending basic election integrity on behalf of all New Yorkers” – House GOP Chairwoman Elise Stefanik
Key figures challenging Governor Kathy Hochul released the following statements about this election integrity lawsuit.
“New Yorkers had a chance to vote on this policy in 2021 and they overwhelmingly rejected it. The RNC and its partners are stepping in because Kathy Hochul and New York Democrats are ignoring the outcome of that vote to push an unconstitutional attack on mail-in voting safeguards. Undermining election integrity is bad enough – circumventing the democratic process to do so is absolutely unacceptable.” – RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel
“New York Democrats are more focused on rigging the rules than winning on issues. Instead of working to stop crime, lower inflation and ensure parents’ rights in schools, they stick to their extreme policies that New Yorkers rejected once and will again in 2024.” – NRCC Chairman Richard Hudson
“When Democrats can’t compete, they cheat. This cynical attempt to overrule the will of the voters and undermine the Democratic process is being challenged in court. Rather than work to stem the flow of our most productive taxpaying citizens out of the state, radical progressives are working to manipulate elections in their favor in their pursuit of power at all costs.” – NYGOP Chairman Ed Cox
“Governor Kathy Hochul signed one of the most disingenuous pieces of legislation in memory into law today in a cynical bid to aid the Democratic Party at the expense of fair elections and ballot integrity in New York State. In doing so, Gov. Hochul is directly repudiating the will of the voters who overwhelmingly rejected early voting by mail in a referendum two years ago. The Conservative Party will proudly join others in challenging this new law in court on clear Constitutional grounds. There is no impediment to voting in New York State. Voters have ample ways to cast their ballots. But Mrs. Hochul and her ‘progressive’ colleagues in Albany, who already control every lever of government in New York State, are constantly spreading falsehoods in an attempt to engineer election results to their liking. Mail-in-voting is inherently insecure, and they know it, but Gov. Hochul and the Democrats want it so badly that they devised an intricate legislative end-around of the People themselves. The question we must ask is ‘why?’ Why would Governor Hochul and her colleagues go to such trouble to overturn the results of a 2021 state ballot initiative? The answer, sadly, is obvious. Mrs. Hochul and her party want to hold power perpetually, the voters be damned. This new law will not survive legal challenge.” – New York State Conservative Party Chairman Gerard Kassar
Background:
- This legislation from New York Democrats allows for no-excuse absentee voting.
- The New York state constitution clearly reserves absentee voting for voters who are physically absent from their county of residence, or sick.
- Changing this voting practice requires a constitutional amendment.
- New York Democrats put forward a constitutional amendment to do so in 2021, but it was voted down by New Yorkers (55% against, 45% for).
- By ignoring the outcome of that referendum and trying to pass this law, Kathy Hochul and New York Democrats are ignoring the democratic process and undermining the state constitution.
- This unnecessary and overreaching proposed law would also create significant administrative obstacles for state election officials by enacting a huge procedural rule change just months before key New York elections.
- New York Democrats are prioritizing extreme partisan attacks on basic election safeguards over the will of their constituents.
- This Republican coalition is stepping in to protect election integrity and defend New Yorkers from activist Democrats who are trying to undermine the rule of law.
- The RNC is involved in over 50 cases of election integrity litigation in 16 states and remains committed to making it easier to vote and harder to cheat in New York and nationwide.
- Please see the full complaint HERE.
