Hall: Redistricting plan violates Voting Act

By Wayne Hall

Originally published
January 2013

With the latest redistricting proposal from Republicans in the Legislature, Nassau County voters face a transgression that
is subtle but insidious.
Injustice does not always manifest itself in broad strokes it is not always Jim Crow or gender-based suffrage
sometimes its harder to see; its hidden under endless layers of political policy and jargon.
The Republicans proposal is one such injustice. As outlined in the Voting Rights Act, citizens are protected from any
procedure that could deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color. As
a public servant, I am committed to upholding these rights.
Make no mistake; the redistricting proposed by the Republican Legislature is a violation of the Voting Rights Act. It is a
calculated and manipulated process intended to minimize the impact of specific voting blocs and position Republicans to
form a powerful majority in the county legislature. There is simply no other explanation for a proposal that moves over
600,000 people and vastly changes the structure of the existing map.
Redistricting is necessary to reflect changing population patterns. But how can a county that saw only a 0.4 percent
population growth between 2000 and 2010 and minimal demographic changes require a redistricting that moves nearly
50 percent of the population? It is a clear power grab. In contrast, the proposal set forth by Nassau Democrats is a
modest plan that keeps our 19 districts largely the same while moving fewer than 20,000 people, a number that more
accurately reflects Nassau Countys changing landscape.
The new district borders outlined in this latest proposal are haphazard and convoluted. The lines appear to have been
drawn with disregard for community identity or common sense. Why take the Five Towns, which have always shared a
strong common bond, and divvy them up into three disparate districts? Why has the Long Beach district been extended
beyond the barrier islands to include portions of Massapequa, when these are communities with different needs, issues
and histories?
Several other Nassau County communities have been carved up in a similar chaotic fashion, including Westbury,
Uniondale and my own Hempstead Village.
What are we as concerned citizens supposed to assume is the reasoning behind such seemingly indiscriminate
borders? The only logical answer is that they were created for political gain, and that presents an obstacle to fair
elections.
If redistricting is abused, it has serious consequences beyond political positioning. It can divide us. It can seek out
minority groups and draws a line between them and the majority, and in the process strengthen the barriers that separate
us. It can fragment and weaken established neighborhoods with longstanding traditions.
We must look to dissolve racial boundaries and reinforce community pride. We must not exploit them for political gain.
The overwhelming opinion from the floor was that the plan proposed by the Republicans is simply unacceptable.
Therefore, I, along with my fellow commissioners, chose not to vote on the plan so we can come up with a compromise in
the future.