ALBANY- The state’s much maligned Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) approved new Assembly district maps in a bipartisan 9-1 vote last week. In 2022, the commission was unable to come to an agreement and as a result the legislature drew its own maps. It turns out that the maps the IRC drew and approved were largely similar to the ones drawn by the Assembly last year, and as a result most lawmakers in the lower chamber are breathing a sigh of relief.
In 2022, State Senate and Congressional maps were ruled unconstitutional and thrown out, leading to the appointment of a court “Special Master” who delivered new maps for those chambers. The Assembly maps were challenged later and the judge in that case chose to send the process back to the IRC for what he called a “rare second bite at the apple”.
The proposed maps newly crafted by the commission could be used for the 2024 elections and the remainder of the decade. But they’ll first have to be approved by the legislature, signed into law by the governor and survive any legal challenges. The Assembly districts approved by the commission, on Thursday, are largely the same as those drawn by Assembly Democrats last year following the panel’s deadlock.
“Understand there are 10 people (on the commission and)… not a single one is completely happy with this map,” said commission Vice Chair Charles H. Nesbitt, a former minority leader of the Assembly. “But that’s the nature of the establishment that we’ve created. We have to work together to make the process work.”
The 101st District represented by local Assemblyman Brian Maher (R-Montgomery) was one of the few to see significant changes. It no longer snakes north toward Utica and Syracuse, but instead encompasses more of Sullivan and Delaware Counties.
The vote by the commission comes against a political backdrop where Governor Hochul is supporting legal efforts to throw out the Congressional maps drawn last year by the Court Appointed Special Master and allow the IRC a second shot at drawing those maps as well. This case could go before the State Court of Appeals as soon as next month. Interestingly, this court was recently reshaped with a new chief judge and Associate Judge, both appointed by Governor Hochul.
The IRC’s ability to agree on new Assembly maps may persuade the court to allow them another chance at the Congressional maps. This legal effort is opposed by Republicans, who argue that the maps drawn last year represented a step in the right direction as there were more competitive seats available.
Indeed, Republican gains in those districts including Congressman Michael Lawler’s (R-Pearl River) victory over Sean Patrick Maloney in the 17th Congressional District provided the seats necessary for Republicans to cement their current Congressional majority. Time will tell as to what will happen regarding the Congressional lines, but in the meantime, the Assembly needs to act on its own districts.
Since the proposed maps by the IRC do not place current Assemblymembers together in the same district, or largely change districts in a way that would negatively impact incumbents likelihood of reelection, it is expected that most members will vote in favor of the IRC’s proposal. Additionally, the now unconstitutional districts that largely resemble the IRC proposal passed in the Assembly with bipartisan support when they were adopted in 2022, pointing to the likelihood of a similar result.
Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay, speaking to reporters in the capitol on Thursday, said at first glance he’s favorable to approving the new maps for his chamber.
