redistricting

County lawmakers will hold a final vote on the new maps at its next meeting December 3.

Now that Onondaga County Republicans and Democrats have agreed to redraw district lines for the County Legislature, the question is how far changes should go.

Oneida County is now split between Congressional districts following approval of a new set of district lines.

With little debate, the lines drawn by Democrats, who lead both the Senate and Assembly, were approved, with a handful of Republican minority party lawmakers also voting yes.

After a closed-door meeting with his Democratic members on Tuesday, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said lawmakers will vote as soon as Wednesday on the lines drawn by the Democratic majorities in his house and the state Senate. Democrats on Monday rejected maps approved by the state's bipartisan redistricting commission earlier in the month.

Democrats in the New York State Legislature rejected new congressional district maps drawn by a bipartisan redistricting commission and are opting to draw their own maps instead. Republicans, who are in the minority in the Legislature, condemned the vote — saying it’s all about the Democrats trying to gain political advantage.

New congressional district lines are due out Thursday as the New York Independent Redistricting Commission is set to meet at 2 p.m. for a vote on the final congressional map approval

With no official congressional district lines, New York State's congressional elections remain unpredictable. Phil Klinkner a professor of government at Hamilton College says right now, what the new lines will look like is anyone's guess.

The group is calling for three things: open meetings so the public can watch deliberations, conduct all mapping exercises and sessions in public and hold hybrid hearings across the state.

New York's highest court has ordered the state to draw new congressional districts ahead of the 2024 elections. The decision from the New York Court of Appeals on Tuesday could give Democrats an advantage in what is expected to be a battleground for control of the U.S. House.