Some of New York’s primaries are being delayed.
Following the Court of Appeals decision to toss out New York’s Congressional district maps, the task of redrawing new maps falls on a state judge in Steuben County and a researcher at Carnegie Mellon University.
The state’s highest court tasked acting state Supreme Court Justice Patrick McAllister with job of drawing new maps. McAllister is the lower-court judge who initially declared the maps drawn by the Democrat-controlled Legislature unconstitutional.
McAllister expected the Court of Appeals to agree with his ruling, so he chose an independent expert to help him draw the new maps, according to News10 NBC– that expert is Jonathan Cervas, a postdoctoral fellow at Carnegie Mellon University’s Institute for Politics and Strategy.
Related: Back to the drawing board: Court of Appeals throws out Democrat-drawn election maps
Will the primary election be postponed?
McAllister and Cervas are working against a tight deadline.
However, on Friday the order came down that congressional and state senate primaries be delayed until August 23.
The new district maps, which are going to be drawn by an independent expert and judge in Steuben County, will be due by May 20.
New York is set to separately hold gubernatorial and state Assembly primaries in June. Those could be delayed though if Gov. Kathy Hochul or the Legislature decides that it’s in the best interest of New Yorkers to have all primaries be held at the same time.
Related: Court says Democrats gerrymandered NY’s district boundaries
Who is independent expert Jonathan Cervas?
Cervas played a central role in creating legislative district maps for Pennsylvania’s Legislative Reapportionment Commission. He also served as an assistant in court-guided redistricting processes in Virginia, Georgia, and Utah.
Related: Judge throws out Democrat-drawn redistricting maps, appeal to follow
What’s the deadline for new maps?
Cervas is scheduled to hold one public hearing set for May 6 at a courthouse in Bath, Steuben County. Cervas must produce a draft map by May 6 and a finalized map by May 24.
Related: New York’s Legislature, Gov. Hochul approve redistricting maps
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