An independent commission determining what election districts will look like in New York next year recently released a pair of draft maps. Boundaries proposed by Republicans on the commission would ultimately combine the two Syracuse-area state Senate districts currently represented by Democrats.
This is the first time the New York Independent Redistricting Commission has taken on the job of drawing political maps. It was meant to take politics out of what has always been a highly charged political process, benefiting the party in power.
But Democrats and Republicans on the group couldn’t agree on one draft map to release this month, so they put out two. The one Republicans like would create a single state Senate District running from Auburn through the city of Syracuse to eastern suburbs. That would combine the 50th and 53rd Senate Districts currently held by Democrats John Mannion and Rachel May, respectively.
May admits it’s a little nerve-wracking waiting for these maps to be finalized.
“That was a first salvo. I’m sure the final maps will look very different,” May said. “I’m trying not to get too exercised about it until the next stage of the process."
And Mannion said history tells him the early maps are never what the final maps turn out to be, noting the IRC will be holding public hearings on the drafts through late-November.
"There’s public comments that are happening now at different events across the state,” Mannion said. “There will be input and those maps will change."
The Democrat-controlled state legislature ultimately votes on the final maps, and it’s unlikely it would approve something that would potentially force Democratic incumbents into a primary.
But the redistricting timeline also points out another challenge candidates face next year.
"Right now we don’t have to get final maps until February,” said May. “And petitioning begins in February. And so people won’t know what district they’re in at the time they have to start petitioning to run for office."
There could be a remedy for that. One of the five statewide propositions on the ballot this November, would move up the timeline for redistricting. May said it’s something voters should be aware of before they go to the polls.
"It’s one of those things, that it’s a kind of a technical proposition on the ballot,” she said. “So people should understand that this is about clarity, and fairness and allowing people to run for office, making sure you have people running for office who know what district they’re running in."
