New York state lawmakers approved a new redistricting amendment, which could go before voters in 2027. The measure would give lawmakers the power to redraw congressional lines mid-decade and would allow legislators to redraw their own state districts.
The amendment would partially repeal a 2014 state constitutional amendment creating an independent redistricting commission and remove certain criteria for drawing district lines.
Rachael Fauss, senior policy adviser for the advocacy group Reinvent Albany, said incumbent lawmakers could try to use the process to maximize their power.
“You saw these situations where a challenger’s home would be drawn out of a district by a block,” Fauss pointed out. “This has happened to challengers in the past, where very intentional line drawing was done to eliminate challengers to incumbents.”
Fauss argued it could depress voter turnout at a time when nonpresidential elections already see drastically lower participation.
With the 2026 legislative session over, the amendment must be voted on and approved by the entire Legislature next year before it can be put to voters in November. If approved in time, the new maps would be used for the 2028 midterms.
A similar amendment was introduced when Texas Republicans approved new congressional maps last year, a move which could gain them up to five House seats. New York lawmakers are justifying the amendment as a response to gerrymandering in other states.
Fauss countered using national partisanship to restore state-level gerrymandering is something voters would notice.
“It’s possible this could backfire, and that the voters may see that this goes beyond a response to other states and be concerned about the effect it has on state legislative lines,” she observed.
The measure comes after a contentious redistricting process in 2022, when New York’s independent commission failed to create its own district lines, which allowed the state Legislature to draw congressional lines. The state Court of Appeals overturned the attempt in favor of a special master drawing them.
Rather than pass the new amendment, Fauss believes the state could take a simpler route and improve the independent commission.
“Creating a mechanism where there’s an odd number of members of this commission would make it more likely to be able to put a map before the state legislature that’s a real map,” she suggested.
Edwin is a reporter and producer in North Tonawanda, New York. He’s previously reported for the Niagara Gazette and the Ithaca Times. Edwin got an early start in radio interning for WBFO-88.7FM, NPR’s Buffalo affiliate. In 2018, he graduated from SUNY Buffalo State College with a B.A. in Journalism, and in 2022, graduated from Syracuse University with an M.S. in Communications.