Today, Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh (R,C,I-Ballston) and her colleagues in the Assembly Minority Conference voted against legislation (A.10839) to change the redistricting process in the state of New York. The substantial changes relate to the work and make-up of the Independent Redistricting Commission, special voting rules and guidelines for redistricting. The bill, which is a Constitutional Amendment, requires a second passage by the Legislature before being brought to the public for a vote.

This legislation comes only six years after New Yorkers approved a Constitutional Amendment that aimed to limit the Legislature’s influence over the drawing of new maps and included protections to ensure no one political party would control the redistricting process. Today’s legislation upends the intention of redistricting changes previously supported and nullifies the voice of the public via the outcome of the 2014 referendum.

“I am disheartened with today’s passage of legislation that completely disenfranchises the will of the citizens of New York state,” said Walsh. “In a year unlike any other in recent history, the Assembly and Senate Majority have decided to jam through legislation that nullifies the results of the 2014 referendum in the midst of a pandemic, when most of our colleagues are debating and voting remotely and the public received little to no ability to review the legislation. This is the world of one-party rule here in New York state.

“This legislation eliminates any opportunity for a fair and transparent redistricting process. The adopted process allows the ability to interject political interests, removes the opportunity for public participation and puts weight behind one individual’s vote over another’s based on party enrollment. Due to the lean of party enrollment in New York state, this legislation will give complete control to the Majority when it comes to drawing the district lines and they will, without a doubt, do so with the intention of squeezing out as many Minority politician districts as possible. Regardless of party registration, it should be obvious that this is a blatant abuse of the public’s trust and will unfairly influence the trajectory of our state for years to come.”

The legislation is opposed by organizations such as the League of Women Voters, Citizens Union of the City of New York and the Conservative Party.