Now let's get ready for redistricting.

Make Redistricting Independent

States should adopt independent citizen commissions to draw maps or add other safeguards to prevent partisan bias in the redistricting process, and Congress should pass legislation requiring them to do so for federal maps.

Every decade, states draw new district maps for congressional and state legislative races. Politicians often use this power to give their party an unfair advantage by drawing maps in which favor their own parties — a scheme known as gerrymandering.

© 2021 Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law

Redistricting

By Rachel Holliday Smith on November 9, 2021 5:44 pm​

 

Because Proposal 1 failed to pass, New York has even less time to finish the redrawing of its political district based on 2020 census population figures.

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The Independent Redistricting Commission currently has until Jan. 1 to submit maps to the legislature for congressional, state Senate and Assembly districts.

If the maps are rejected, a second set must be submitted by Feb. 28.

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Why do these deadlines matter? Because candidates running for office in those districts that still need to be drawn need to get their signature-gathering process started by late February or early March to get on the ballot for next year’s June primary.

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In other words: Redistricting might run smack into New York’s primary … and then we’re in a pickle, according to Jeff Wice, a New York Law School professor and redistricting expert.

“The legislature may need to consider changes in the spring primary calendar if the commission needs to submit a second set of maps in February 2022,” he said after Proposal 1, which would have pushed the timetable up by two weeks, failed.