NYS CoRR Platform Message

NYS Coalition for Rehabilitation and Reentry

Fair Legislative Representation

Prison inmates are stripped of the right to vote in all but two states. But state lawmakers often treat them as "residents" of their prisons when drawing legislative maps, to help underpopulated districts raise their numbers. That shifts political influence from the densely populated urban districts where inmates actually live to the sparsely settled rural areas where prisons are typically built.

     1. Read, Take Pieces, & Edit the following Message: 
(or write your own)

Section 4 of article II of the NYS Constitution provides in pertinent  part  as  follows:  "For  the purpose  of  voting,  no person shall be deemed to have gained or lost a residence...while confined in any public prison."  Likewise, subdivision 5-1 of section 5-104 of the NYS Election Law provides  in  pertinent  part  as follows:  "For  the purpose of registering and voting no person shall be deemed to have gained or lost a residence...while confined in any public prison."
 
Despite these unequivocal provisions, many incarcerated persons in NYS are being classified for purposes of residency as residents of their places of incarceration rather than as residents of their places of  residence prior to incarceration.

I therefore urge you TO SUPPORT THE FOLLOWING Reforms:
 

• The methods of NYS districting must comply with the NYS Constitution and NYS Election Law. Incarcerated persons in NYS must be counted, for re-districting purposes, in the creation of congressional, NYS Assembly, NYS Senate, and NYS county legislative districts, in their home locations prior to incarceration. Immediate steps should be taken to achieve this.
   

• The NY State Board of Elections should prepare and disseminate appropriate population counts, adjusted so that incarcerated persons are no longer included in any geographic area in violation of the NYS Constitution.
   

• The NYS Legislative Task Force on reapportionment should use such information in the creation of all legislative districts.
   

• On the national scene, where many other states have similar problems, the U.S. Census Bureau has a crucial role to play in putting an end to this despicable practice. The 2010 census is now the time for them to get started.
   

    2. Send Your Email or Postal Message  to your NYS District Legislators
and to some of the following:

Denise O'Donnell, infoDCJS@dcjs.state.ny.us

Senate: Crime Victims, Crime & Corrections Comm.
  Michael Nozzolio,     nozzolio@senate.state.ny.us
  Dale Volker   volker@senate.state.ny.us
  James Wright  wright@senate.state.ny.us
  George Maziarz    maziarz@senate.state.ny.us
  Eric Adams  eadams@senate.state.ny.us
  Carl Kruger  kruger@senate.state.ny.us
  V. Montgomery   montgome@senate.state.ny.us

Senate Codes Committee
  Dean Skelos  skelos@senate.state.ny.us
  Stephen Saland  saland@senate.state.ny.us
  Serphin Maltese  maltese@senate.state.ny.us
  John DeFrancisco  jdefranc@senate.state.ny.us
  Eric Schneiderman  schneide@senate.state.ny.us
  Thomas Duane    duane@senate.state.ny.us
  John Sampson sampson@senate.state.ny.us

Assembly Corrections Committee
  Jeffrion Aubry  aubryj@assembly.state.ny.us
  Harvey Weisenberg  weisenh@assembly.state.ny.us
  Keith Wright  wrightk@assembly.state.ny.us
  Feliz Ortiz ortizf@assembly.state.ny.us
  Tom O'Mara  omarat@assembly.state.ny.us

Assembly Codes Committee
  Joseph Lentol   lentolj@assembly.state.ny.us
  Robin Schimminger   schimmr@assembly.state.ny.us
  Mark Weprin  weprinm@assembly.state.ny.us 
  James Brennan  brennaj@assembly.state.ny.us
  David Townsend     townsed@assembly.state.ny.us