Brace for battle as Hochul revives New York’s gerrymander threat
Governor Kathy Hochul has reignited debate over New York's redistricting process by supporting a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow mid-decade redrawing of congressional maps in response to other states' actions. This move follows a recent Supreme Court decision against race-based gerrymandering, which Hochul and other Democrats criticized as politically motivated. The proposal, previously introduced by State Sen. Mike Gianaris and Assemblyman Micah Lasher, faces hurdles requiring approval by two consecutive legislatures and a public referendum.
- ▪Governor Kathy Hochul announced she is working with the Legislature to change New York’s redistricting process following a Supreme Court decision on race-based gerrymandering.
- ▪The Gianaris-Lasher constitutional amendment would allow New York to redraw House districts mid-decade if another state does so, such as Texas did last year.
- ▪New York’s current redistricting system, established by a 2014 voter-approved amendment, empowers an independent commission to draw district lines and restricts partisan gerrymandering.
- ▪A similar Democratic effort to weaken anti-gerrymandering protections failed in the 2021 referendum when voters rejected the proposed constitutional amendment.
- ▪Micah Lasher, a sponsor of the amendment, is running in a competitive Democratic primary to succeed retiring Congressman Jerry Nadler.
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Opinion Brace for battle as Hochul revives New York’s gerrymander threat By Joseph T. Burns Published April 30, 2026, 7:38 p.m. ET "I'm working with the Legislature to change New York's redistricting process so we can fight back against Washington's attempts to rig our democracy," Gov. Kathy Hochul said Thursday. Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Post Republicans and all fair-minded New York voters dodged a bullet in March. That’s when the US Supreme Court halted a lawsuit that aimed to redraw New York City’s only GOP House seat out of existence — the third round of Empire State redistricting in as many election cycles. But on Wednesday the gerrymander frenzy among New York Democrats sparked anew, after the high court struck down race-based redistricting in a landmark case. Gov.
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