In December, the New York State Court of Appeals ruled that the state’s Congressional maps must be redrawn. The ruling ordered the NYS Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) to submit new maps to the state legislature for approval by February 28. They have not committed to holding any public meetings.
In response, New York voting and civil rights groups hosted a People’s Hearing on redistricting on Tuesday, February 20th from 6 pm to 8 pm. Members of the public heard from numerous speakers and organizations representing diverse stakeholder groups across the state on the current state of redistricting, why redistricting is important to them, and how new Congressional lines will impact their communities over the next decade.
This event was co-sponsored by APA Voice, the Center for Law and Social Justice at Medgar Evers College, Citizens Union, Common Cause New York, LatinoJustice PRLDEF, the League of Women Voters of New York State, the New York Civic Engagement Table, and the New York Immigration Coalition.
* ASL and closed captioning were provided by Disability Rights New York.
In addition to the oral testimony from the panelists, we collected written comments from the public that were shared with the IRC and LATFOR, the legislative committee charged with approving or redrawing the commission’s map.