Unfair Advantage: New York State's Redisticting Process

[brooklynite]

Endorsed by:
Citizens Union
Common Cause/NY
League of Women Voters/N.Y.S.
New York Public Interest Research Group

Our groups have long argued that the method by which our state draws legislative districts is undemocratic and in need of reform. This report examines a specific and often overlooked problem with redistricting in New York State – its impact on relative population size in each district.

It is well known that an important factor in maintaining New York State’s political culture is the practice of allowing the majorities in both houses to draw the district lines every ten years. In effect, this practice allows legislators to choose their voters, rather than the other way around. The Governor, who must ultimately approve the lines, has not put up significant resistance to the status quo.

What is virtually ignored in how the populations of legislative districts differ. Unlike Congressional district lines, which by law must be extremely close in population, state legislative districts are allowed to range in population by as much as 10 percent.

Mapmakers exploit this weakness is state law to further their efforts to “rig” district lines in favor of the majority parties in each house and the re-election prospects of incumbents. However, populations are not static. Trends of change continue over the decade-long life of a district, and this report examines what impact those trends have had on relative population size.

Finding: Only 29 of 212 legislative districts (14 percent) are within one percent of the “ideal size.”

Finding: Population trends since the last census have exacerbated the problem of disproportionately sized districts. The census estimates of 2004 show dramatic changes in population since the last redistricting in 2000. As a result, Senate districts with the smallest populations (upstate) have, typically, lost population while those districts with the largest populations (in New York City) have grown. Thus, the population range in Senate districts is now likely to exceed 10 percent. In the Assembly, the impact is different, with one exception. Long Island Assembly districts that have relatively large populations have experienced growth and as a result, it is possible that the Assembly population range may exceed 10 percent.

Finding: District lines are drawn to minimize electoral competition. Only 25 of the 212 legislative districts (11 percent) have close enrollments. The populations of the rest favor one party or another by a wide margin.

As a result, New York State’s legislative politics are dominated by the political status quo. This report examines one of the major reasons why.

Recommendation: An independent redistricting commission is needed to create fair legislative districts in New York State and to ensure that our districts adhere to the principle of “one person, one vote.”

http://www.nypirg.org/goodgov/redistrictniReport4.20.06.pdf