New York Democrats to introduce two redistricting amendments

ALBANY, New York — New York Democrats are expected to introduce bills by Friday to pave the way for new congressional lines in 2028, according to four people familiar with the talks.

Officials are weighing two constitutional amendments — one that would allow some minor tweaks, and another that would permit an aggressive Democratic gerrymander, according to the people, who were granted anonymity to discuss the closed-door conversations.

New York’s cumbersome process to change the state constitution restricts Democrats from redrawing House boundaries in time for the 2026 midterm elections. But House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a Brooklyn Democrat, has made his home state’s House lines part of a broader, longer-term strategy to pick up seats in the closely divided chamber.

“This is a potentially existential matter for our democracy in the ‘28 elections,” said Assemblymember Micah Lasher, a Democratic House candidate who previously proposed an amendment to allow for mid-decade redistricting. “There’s a broad understanding that in the redistricting arms race New York can’t be on the sidelines.”

Introducing two amendments is part of that plan.

New York lawmakers will need to pick one of these to pass a second time next spring and send it to voters for a referendum in November 2027, allowing for new maps in time for the 2028 elections. Which amendment is put up for a vote will be determined by the political climate a year from now and whether the more aggressive approach will pass muster with New Yorkers, one top Democrat said.

The plan underscores the cautious approach some Empire State Democrats want to take with redistricting after voters rejected a proposed amendment in 2021 that would have altered the state’s map drawing process and given Democrats a minor advantage.

Party leaders in the state have been eager to jump into the national gerrymandering wars since last summer. But language in the state constitution bars mid-decade changes to the state’s congressional map, and the process to change that is lengthy. New York’s constitution also bans partisan gerrymandering and gives power to an independent commission, limiting what Democrats can do — including when they can draw new maps.

The first amendment under consideration would allow for mid-decade changes. It would also make alterations to the way votes happen on the existing Independent Redistricting Commission — avoiding scenarios like what transpired in 2022 when that body’s five Democrats and five Republicans deadlocked and stopped meeting, ultimately leading to court-drawn lines.

But that amendment won’t touch constitutional language like a ban on maps drawn to boost “particular candidates or political parties.”

Without such a change, any adjustments to the lines would be subject to court challenge. And while it would be possible to make some Democratic-friendly adjustments — improving the margins by a few points in battleground districts — aggressive overhauls targeting safe Republican seats would likely be off the table.

The second amendment would create a much broader overhaul of the constitution’s language on redistricting, including removing all its restrictions on gerrymandering. Under that scenario, it would be far less difficult to turn a state where there are currently 19 Democrats and seven Republicans in the House into one where the maps favor Democrats in 23 seats.

Members are planning to vote on the amendments next week before they adjourn for the year. Introducing the bills on Friday will let them age without an emergency message from Gov. Kathy Hochul, letting Democrats dodge likely Republican attacks about a deal being rushed through.

Jeffries has taken a keen interest in his home state’s redistricting process. The Brooklyn lawmaker last month appointed Democratic Rep. Joe Morelle, one of his top lieutenants in the New York House delegation, to serve as a liaison with the state Legislature on the map drawing push.

New York’s status as a blue state that includes several swing seats has made it a fulcrum for the national fight over redistricting — a high-stakes battle that Democrats are losing. A Democratic-drawn map in Virginia was rejected following a court challenge, a development that dimmed the party’s chances of making inroads in the swing state.

المصدر: Politico