This week, state lawmakers, by a wide margin, rejected congressional and state legislature maps drawn by the New York Independent Redistricting Commission.
The commission was formed after passage of a constitutional amendment in 2014 to take the job away from partisan legislators. Now, the commission has 15 days to submit a new map or maps. If the legislature rejects the second attempt, it will take over the process.
The ten-member commission was unable to reach consensus on a single map, so its Democrats and Republicans each submitted a proposal. Democratic lawmakers voted against both plans. Republicans in the senate approved the GOP proposal. Some Democrats have called into question the process used to create the commission and its work. Among the biggest tasks for the commission or possibly for lawmakers, is to redraw congressional districts to take into account the district New York lost after the 2020 census.
Related: Proposed NY Congressional map would combine Katko, Tenney districts
The state will now have 26 districts, meaning in one or more districts, two incumbents might have to face off in a primary. One proposal floated by the commission would have Republican incumbents John Katko and Claudia Tenney facing each other.
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