Exclusive | TV ad claims NY’s Prop 1 ballot measure will aid illegal immigration, non-citizen voting

A hard-hitting TV ad claims a New York ballot measure meant to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution will also benefit illegal immigrants and “open the door” to allowing non-citizens to vote in New York elections.

“The border is broken. New York is paying the price. And Proposal 1 would make it worse,” the narrator warns in the 30-second ad, paid for by the Vote No on Prop 1 Committee.

“This isn’t about equal rights. It’s about special rights for illegal immigrants,” the narrator says.

Approximately 20 people gathered on the steps of City Hall to protest Proposal #1, which will be on the ballot on November 5. Gregory P. Mango

The message plays over footage of migrants storming the border and even stomping on a police officer.

The ad notes that the text of the proposed constitutional amendment would provide equal rights protections based on “national origin” — which critics claim could “block local efforts to deal with the migrant crisis, give illegals a constitutional right to taxpayer benefits and open the door to non-citizens voting.”

“Fight back. Vote No on Prop 1,” the TV ad demands.

A rep for the Vote No on Prop 1 Committee said the TV ad will air statewide beginning Monday night. The ad buy is expected to be substantial — even reaching seven figures, though the rep did not provide an exact cost.

The vague language of Prop 1 has been roundly criticized, even by supporters.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., joined from left by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., and Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, tells reporters they want to remove the deadline for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, April 27, 2023. AP

While promoted as an amendment to codify the right to an abortion in the state constitution, the proposition doesn’t include the word “abortion” in the text of the ballot question. New York has among the strongest abortion rights laws in the country, and the right to terminate a pregnancy is not threatened at the state level.

The ballot measure calls for equal rights based on “pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive healthcare and autonomy.”

It also proposes equal rights based on “ethnicity, national origin” as well as “gender identity” and “gender expression.” 

Opponents said that language will allow biological males who identify as transgender to compete against women in sports or allow youths to get sexual reassignment surgery without parental notification or approval.

The “Vote No on Prop 1” committee was only registered with the state Board of Elections in late September. It’s yet to file any disclosure reports. Youtube / VoteNOonprop1

Critics have also claimed other language in the proposal could eliminate merit-based criteria for acceptance into New York City’s specialized high schools and discriminate against Asian American students who are disproportionately enrolled.

The “Vote No on Prop 1” committee was only registered with the state Board of Elections in late September. It’s yet to file any disclosure reports.

The group of mainly Democratic-aligned backers who are pushing Prop 1 is well-funded. Their ballot issue committee, New Yorkers for Equal Rights, has spent over $2.8 million pushing the measure over the last two years.

The measure’s major backers include the New York Civil Liberties Union, Planned Parenthood, Make the Road New York, Service Employees International Union and New York State United Teachers.

New Yorkers for Equal Rights have accused opponents of scaremongering. Polling has shown that a majority of voters support the measure, though opposition has grown in suburban districts where there are battleground congressional races.

The other main anti-Prop 1 committee, Coalition to Protect Kids, has run a far more lean operation, only spending $46,000 to date, according to their filings with the state elections board.