New York Democrats have a new plan for altering the state constitution in 2027 to catch up to Republican-led states that have raced to redraw U.S. House districts to gain seats this November.
The proposal to be put to voters for approval would remove rules that have tied New York lawmakers’ hands in remaking the political map for partisan advantage as other states have done. It would do so by removing a gerrymandering ban embedded in the constitution more than a decade ago and by allowing House lines to be redrawn whenever lawmakers see fit, not strictly after each census.
The bill to make that amendment was introduced at night on Monday, June 1, in the closing days of this year’s legislative session, which is scheduled to end on June 4. Lawmakers must pass it both this year and next year for it to be put on the ballot for voters in November 2027.
If approved by voters, the state Legislature could then redraw House districts for the 2028 elections. The state constitution doesn’t currently allow mid-decade redistricting.
Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins cast the proposal as a necessary tool to compete, saying it enables New York to “preserve a level playing field in the face of Republican-led efforts to tilt maps and weaken democratic participation.”
“New York cannot afford to stand still,” Stewart-Cousins said in a statement. “We cannot ignore the reality that Republicans have repeatedly sought to undermine democracy through various attempts to gain political advantage.”
What to know about NY redistricting plan
The new proposal goes further than an initial amendment bill created last year after President Donald Trump set off a national redistricting war by goading Texas lawmakers into redrawing the state’s House map to gain Republican seats.
The earlier New York bill, still pending in the Senate and Assembly, would simply allow the state to redraw districts in mid-decade if other states do so. That proposal in its current form would still hamper Democrats’ ability to match GOP states because it would leave intact the constitution’s ban on drawing lines to favor one party and its requirement to draw compact districts.
Both of those restrictions would be lifted under the latest bill.
It would leave in place the appointed commission set up by New York to draw new maps for Congress and state Legislature seats after each census to adjust for population changes. But it also declares that state lawmakers — not the 10-member redistricting panel — will draw new House lines in 2028 and gives the Legislature the ability to move lines in future decades as well.
A slew of states, led by both Republicans and Democrats, have followed Texas in drawing new House maps with partisan motives for the upcoming midterm elections. Both parties are battling to win control of the House for the final two years of Trump’s presidency. New York was unable to join the fight in 2026 because of the state’s two-year process for amending its constitution.
How are Republicans reacting to the proposal?
New York’s 26 House seats are currently split between 19 Democrats and 7 Republicans.
One of those Republicans — Rep. Mike Lawler — held a press conference with GOP state lawmakers in Albany on Monday, June 1, to denounce any attempts to change the New York’s redistricting system. Speakers vowed a fierce campaign to defeat such a measure and predicted voters would reject it, just as they did in 2021 when Democrats tried to alter the state’s 2014 redistricting reforms.
“So bring it on,” Lawler said. “We will fight back, and we will win. Because New York Democrats, who proclaim to want to protect democracy, they only protect it when it’s convenient. When it suits their purpose. When it helps them gain power.”
The reform group Reinvent Albany issued a blistering statement opposing the new proposal, saying it goes beyond the current House battle with other states and opens the door for New York’s majority-party lawmakers to effectively reassert control over all redistricting — even with the state commission in place.
“It is a cynical power grab by state leaders to exploit a hyper-partisan political environment to forever gerrymander their own lines,” the statement read.
This story has been updated with additional information
Emily Barnes, Albany statehouse reporter for the USA TODAY Network, contributed to this report.
Chris McKenna covers government and politics for The Journal News and USA TODAY Network. Reach him at CMcKenna@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NY Dems reveal new path to redrawing House seats to match GOP states
Reporting by Chris McKenna, New York State Team / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
