Mapping the New Senate, Assembly & Congressional Districts

New York State in 2021 must redraw the State’s senate, assembly and congressional districts. The process will be different from the process used to draw legislative and congressional district lines in the past. Previously, the State legislature redrew the districts for its own members and for the State’s congressional members. After years of efforts to reform a process seen as too self-interested, New York State voters in 2014 approved an amendment to the State constitution that created a new Redistricting Commission that will propose new district lines to the legislature. The legislature still gets the last word, but the commission process opens the redistricting process up, provides an outside entity to act as the initial proposer, and adds guidelines for map design for fairness. This article provides background on past redistrictings and information on what to expect ahead. It explains the Redistricting Commission’s composition and rules, and the role for judicial review. It also identifies anticipated timelines, opportunities for public input, and particular factors that are likely to affect the shape of districts to be used over the next decade