Little consensus on redistricting

The Legislative Gazette writes about the various redistricting reform proposals that have been introduced in recent weeks and months, including my redistricting reform bill.

There are legislative redistricting proposals emanating from both parties in both houses, and from the executive branch, with little consensus on how reform should be accomplished.

Weeks before the Legislature is slated to receive New York's 2010 census data, which will be used to determine reapportionment, it remains unclear who will draw new Senate, Assembly and congressional districts and what criteria will be used. There are multiple bills and a pledge by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to veto any redistricting plan that he sees as politically motivated. The existing proposals would all form an independent redistricting commission to draw district lines for the Legislature to consider, eventually.

There are two bills proposing a statute to accomplish reform: Cuomo's program bill (A.5388/S.3419) and a similar bill (A.3432/S.2543) introduced earlier in the session by Sen. Michael Gianaris, D-Queens, and Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, D-Brooklyn.

Read the full article here.