{"id":11867,"date":"2013-10-04T05:30:47","date_gmt":"2013-10-04T05:30:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=11867"},"modified":"2021-11-30T10:35:12","modified_gmt":"2021-11-30T18:35:12","slug":"new-york-casino-voter-referendum-wording-challenged-by-attorney","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/new-york-casino-voter-referendum-wording-challenged-by-attorney\/","title":{"rendered":"New York Casino Voter Referendum Wording Challenged by Attorney"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_11877\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11877\" data-style=\"width: 358px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-11877 \" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/casino_large.jpeg\" width=\"358\" height=\"233\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/casino_large.jpeg 640w, https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/casino_large-142x92.jpeg 142w, https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/casino_large-166x108.jpeg 166w, https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/casino_large-462x300.jpeg 462w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 358px) 100vw, 358px\" \/><figcaption  id=\"caption-attachment-11877\"class=\"text-description\">A November New York State casino referendum for voters has one attorney questioning the ballot&#8217;s wording<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In November, New York voters are scheduled to vote on a referendum that would allow several new casino resorts to be built throughout the state. But if one Brooklyn lawyer is successful, that referendum will be halted due to language in the ballot question that he claims violates state law.<\/p>\n<h2>Referendum Language Questioned<\/h2>\n<p>The language in the referendum includes a number of \u201clegislative purposes\u201d that paint the proposal in an unmistakably positive light. For instance, the question mentions \u201cpromoting job growth, increasing aid to schools and permitting local governments to lower property taxes.\u201d That language was approved by the State Board of Elections in July.<\/p>\n<p>But now, lawyer Eric J. Snyder is contending that the language in the bill violates New York law. According to a lawsuit filed in the New York State Supreme Court, Snyder alleges that the language violates the State Constitution\u2019s prohibition on the use of public money in the aid of \u201cprivate undertakings.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Constitution is pretty clear that you can\u2019t use public money to sway or influence a vote,\u201d Snyder said.<\/p>\n<p>Snyder isn\u2019t the only one who has brought up issues with the language in the referendum. Many government watchdog groups also see it as one-sided, and religious groups have also noted the language used when telling parishioners to consider social ills that could come along with the advertised benefits of casino expansion.<\/p>\n<p>Interestingly, the original language in the referendum didn\u2019t mention any of the benefits that are set to appear in the final ballot question. When the first draft came from the state attorney general\u2019s office, the language was more direct and didn\u2019t include the legislative purposes. Those showed up only after the Board of Elections changed the wording, after what co-chairman Douglas Kellner said were \u201cextensive discussions.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Wording Can Affect Outcome, Historically Speaking<\/h2>\n<p>The language of a ballot question may seem like a trivial thing to battle over, but history has shown time and again that even minor changes to the name or wording of legislation can have a major impact on public opinion, and that has proven true once again in this case.<\/p>\n<p>According to a poll by Siena College, 55% of New York voters were in favor of the referendum when they were read the question as it is scheduled to appear on the November 5 ballot, with 42% opposed. But when voters were instead asked a similar question with more neutral language, they were evenly divided on the issue.<\/p>\n<p>That \u201cadvocating language\u201d is what Snyder \u2013 who also opposes casino expansion personally \u2013 says should cause the court to enjoin voting on the bill until more neutral language was put in its place.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is partisan, and it is having an effect,\u201d Snyder said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s not the government\u2019s role.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite the promising poll numbers, the success of the referendum is in some doubt regardless of the language used. With no statewide elections set for November, turnout is likely to be low in most towns. But in New York City, a contested mayor\u2019s race will likely lead to higher turnout there \u2013 and voters in the city are more skeptical about the casino expansion than voters in the rest of the state.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In November, New York voters are scheduled to vote on a referendum that would allow several new casino resorts to be built throughout the state. But if one Brooklyn lawyer is successful, that referendum will be halted due to language in the ballot question that he claims violates state law. Referendum Language Questioned The language [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":11877,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,10,13,18],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>New York Casino Voter Referendum Wording Challenged by Attorney<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"With elections coming up in November - but a low voter turnout anticipated everywhere but New York City - a New York casino voter referendum gets challenged\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New York Casino Voter Referendum Wording Challenged by Attorney\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"With elections coming up in November - 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