Mapping a more democratic New York State

Lest we forget, government works for the people it represents. When the people provide their government with a mandate to act on their behalf, public officials should listen; without showmanship, without tricks and without trying to impose their own will on that mandate.

So naturally, when New Yorkers voted overwhelmingly for a mandate demanding the state follow a fair, independent redistricting process…our government did the opposite, with all the chutzpah only a New Yorker could muster.

Anyone following New York’s redistricting process knows it is desperately behind schedule and hopelessly caught up in political squabbling. This should come as no surprise to New Yorkers, who by now are used to inadequacy from their government. But it is nonetheless disappointing.

Redistricting is an inherently political process, I understand that. It is hard to separate the politics from the process — especially for self-interested politicians. It’s why an independent redistricting process was needed. But so far that hasn’t been enough, which is why the Empire Center was among the many independent groups to develop maps for a state panel to consider in its deliberations.

In 2014, New York voters approved an amendment to the state Constitution to create an Independent Redistricting Committee (IRC), to ensure future redistricting processes would be fair and non-partisan. This is the IRC’s first test — and it is on a crash course to failure.

Last May, the pro-bono Government Justice Center had to sue the state just to get the IRC funded. In November, a ballot proposition that would unravel key provisions of the IRC was decisively rejected by voters. Later that month, Gov. Hochul signed a bill that memorialized in law many of the very changes the voters had just rejected. And, just days after that, Legislative leaders began laying the groundwork for making further changes to the IRC process.

Of course, the IRC hasn’t been perfect, either. Last September, it failed to reach consensus and submitted two sets of maps for public comment. Last week, comically, they again submitted two proposals, this time to the Legislature — one from the Democratic members of the commission, and one from the Republicans. The Legislature rejected both maps, with Democrats presumably hoping to gain more control over the final product.

You can almost see the drool forming on the mouths of Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and their Democratic supermajorities as they contemplate a path that leads to the Legislature drawing its own maps. Politically gerrymandered districts will protect their member-politicians and their political power — just like Republican politicians are doing in state houses across the country.

But Republicans in those state houses aren’t doing an end-run around a supposedly nonpartisan commission, which is exactly what’s happening in New York.

The IRC has one more chance to do what is required of them by the state Constitution. Likewise, the Legislature would have one more chance to do what has been asked — nay demanded — of them by residents of this great state.

Anything less is undemocratic and unacceptable.

The maps the Empire Center has proposed — for Assembly, Senate and congressional districts — are in full accordance with the Voting Rights Act; seek to keep county, town and city borders intact; and are in compliance with constitutional and legal requirements of redistricting.

Our maps were not guided by partisan considerations— and beat the two existing plans on most metrics of fairness. For example, in its draft plans, the IRC groups several upstate universities into one geographically tortured district without any provided explanation, appearing to create a politically advantageous district for one political party. But the outcome of creating that district results in a myriad of other problems, including unnaturally forcing the surrounding districts to be geographically larger, reducing the ability of representatives to effectively serve these remote and widely separated constituencies.

Likewise, an IRC-proposed New York City district needlessly combines different demographic groups, thereby reducing each group’s individual influence by representation. There are dozens of such examples.

Our maps protect communities, prioritizing compactness and contiguity — and it wasn’t that hard.

We implore the IRC commissioners to consider our maps (and the dozens of others submitted through your website) an olive branch. Use them to reach consensus and submit one set of maps for the Legislature to consider.

And we beg the Legislature to listen to the people of New York. We’ve twice told our elected officials that we support the work of the IRC, that we want fair and impartial redistricting, and that we want our government to represent us.

When this is all over it will be crystal clear who was looking out for who’s interest. Hopefully, the people of New York will come out on top.

Hoefer is president & CEO of the Empire Center. Its proposed maps can be found at www.RedistrictNY.com