Democrats move ahead with plan to speed up NYS redistricting

ALBANY — Democrats in the State Legislature passed resolutions Wednesday evening supporting changes to the state constitution that would grant legislators the ability to redraw congressional districts in the middle of the decade.

The state Senate voted 38-22 in favor of the resolution. The state Assembly voted 91-47.

The votes are the first of three steps that must happen before Democrats, which control both houses, can redraw the state’s congressional districts in order to maximize their representation in Congress.

Republican legislators argued that the proposed changes ignore the will of the voters, who approved the creation of an Independent Redistricting Commission in 2014.

"I think you're making a poor choice today," Sen. Mark Walczyk (R-Watertown) said. "I agree with the overwhelming majority of New Yorkers that agree that political gerrymandering is wrong."

Democrats said they were simply responding in kind to Republican efforts to create more favorable district maps across the South, amid a nationwide redistricting fight for competitive advantage in the U.S. House.

"What I would say is there are other states that are abusing the redistricting process to gain political advantage, and it would be irresponsible for New York to not be playing on the same field as those other states," said Assemb. Charles Lavine (D-Glen Cove).

The changes would allow the legislature to redraw the state's 26 congressional districts in the middle of the decade, rather than once a decade when the U.S. Census Bureau numbers come out, as it typically does.

The legislature will need to pass the same changes again next year. Voters would also need to approve the measure in November 2027 before it could go into effect for the 2028 election.

The proposal allows state Democrats to approve new maps with a simple majority vote and removes a ban on maps drawn to benefit a political party. It also says that if the maps are successfully challenged in court, they go back to the legislature for changes.

Democrats hope the eventual new district lines could help them pick up as many as four seats, including ones on Long Island and in the Hudson Valley. Democrats currently hold 19 of New York's 26 seats.

Several Republicans said they did not necessarily approve of other states’ decisions to follow President Donald Trump’s urging to redraw their own Congressional lines in order to favor Republicans.

Last week, Louisiana joined Florida, Tennessee and Alabama in drawing new congressional maps that reduce the number of districts currently controlled by Democrats in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court decision that weakened the Voting Rights Act.

Trump has urged Republican-controlled statehouses to redraw their maps ahead of the 2026 elections.

During Wednesday's debate, Republicans read back statements Sen. Michael Gianaris, (D-Astoria) and Major Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers) made more than a decade ago, criticizing gerrymandering and calling for the creation on an independent commission to draw legislative lines.

Gianaris noted the state Independent Redistricting Commission was a creation of former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, a Democrat, and Senate Republicans, who at the time controlled the house.

Gianaris brushed off those quotes and made it clear the fight was now about raw political power. He added that decision would ultimately be up to voters.

Any lines drawn by the legislature would only remain in effect for the 2028 and 2030 elections. The state’s Independent Redistricting Commission would be required to submit maps based on new census data by Jan. 15, 2032.