Senator Dilan Appointed to the Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment for the Senate Democratic Conference

In a continuation of his work to reform the redistricting process, Senator Martin Malavé Dilan (D-Brooklyn) has been appointed as a member of the Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment for the Senate Democratic Conference.

“The State Senate must remain a bellwether of redistricting reforms in New York. The ability to disenfranchise any one-person or community for the sake of political gain with the stroke of a pen is unconscionable,” said Senator Dilan. “We have to put up our best efforts to see that this practice comes to an end.”

Leading up to the recent appointment, the Task Force—under the leadership of Senator Dilan—has been conducting roundtables with key redistricting stakeholders including representatives from voting and civil rights organizations, faith based groups, bar associations, academia, and “good government” and reform organizations.

In addition, public meetings were conducted in Albany and New York City to gauge public opinion on a number of issues surrounding redistricting, including the formation of an independent redistricting commission to conduct the process. Minutes and testimony, as well as data and maps, are available online.

“This redistricting cycle can mark the final year of the regional bias and insidious gerrymandering of New York’s redistricting past. We now have the opportunity to create better representation for all New Yorkers. It’s a matter of who will fight for it,” Senator Dilan concluded.