What’s New with the Nassau Redistricting

To refresh your recollection and bring you up-to-date on Nassau ILO Redistricting Committee:

• After NY’s Independent Redistricting Committee failed to reach consensus on a compromised set of redistricting maps, the NY Legislature was empowered by the 2014 Constitutional Amendment to create its own maps.  It quickly redrew and ratified new Congressional, State Senate and State Assembly election maps.
• A lawsuit was then filed in the Steuben County Supreme Court alleging gerrymandering by the Legislature’s Democratic majority, with appeals reaching The Court of Appeals, our highest state court.  Ultimately, a neutral Special Master was charged with redrawing Congressional and NY Senate maps.  (Assembly maps weren’t in dispute.)
• The Master’s redrawn maps were released May 16, and the public was given a mere 3 days to submit comments to the Court.  The core team of our Nassau Redistricting Committee met to discuss the maps and submitting written testimony, given that we believed Congressional Districts 2 and 3 divided communities of interest.  Our chair did “the heavy lifting” as our ILO President described it, drafting an excellent letter (attached).
• Also attached is the Court’s Order approving the Master’s maps, which were modified after his review of public comment.  Our submission is referenced at the bottom of page 25 of the PDF as having influenced him to modify those Congressional districts.  (Note: The Order is followed by the Master’s report.  The page referencing our input is on page 20 of the Master’s report, but page 25 of the entire PDF.)  Also attached is our letter to the Court.

Finally, an excellent site to quickly eyeball and compare all new and old districts and their demographics can be found at NYS Redistricting 2021-2022 (redistrictingandyou.org)

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ATTACHMENTS:
E2020