Democrats Reject New York’s Bipartisan Congressional Map

Democrats in New York rejected a bipartisan congressional map devised by a non-partisan commission, opting to draw their own lines in a move that could impact nationwide control of the House.

The Independent Redistricting Commission approved a map earlier this month with a 9-1 vote. However, several Democratic state legislators expressed displeasure with the bipartisan congressional map, arguing it did not favor their party enough. On Monday, both the state Senate and Assembly voted to reject the commission’s map, allowing Democrats to now draft new district boundaries of their choosing.

Republicans criticized the move, claiming Democrats were disregarding the will of New York voters who supported establishing the redistricting commission through a 2014 constitutional amendment. “In rejecting the commission’s map, Democratic legislators were saying, ‘We don’t trust the people of New York state,’” said state Senator George Borrello.

The Fight is On

With the commission’s work now discarded, Democrats can create a new map that could flip as many as six U.S. House seats in their party’s favor. However, such aggressive gerrymandering would likely trigger fresh legal challenges alleging violations of the state’s constitution. Democrats argued the bipartisan congressional map preserved too many competitive districts and failed to slice up GOP-leaning territory. But redrawing the lines entirely along partisan lines would almost guarantee protracted court battles.

Experts say the Legislature may opt to make modest adjustments and finalize a new map quickly to avoid further litigation. But control of Congress is at stake, increasing pressure on Democrats to maximize their advantage. The battle lines are clearly drawn, with Democrats pursuing a partisan map and Republicans defending the non-partisan commission’s bipartisan congressional map. How this high-stakes redistricting fight ultimately shakes out could significantly impact the 2024 election outcome.