NEW YORK — New York Republicans are speaking out after Democrats finalized plans to change how the state draws its political maps.
RELATED: NYS Democrats aim to change the state’s redistricting process with a new amendment
According to Politico, the amendment would remove the state constitution’s ban on mid-decade changes, let Democrats approve maps with a simple majority vote and remove a ban on maps drawn to benefit political parties.
New Yorkers would vote on the amendment in November of next year, ahead of the 2028 elections.
The amendment is part of a nationwide redistricting battle, with red and blue states competing for more seats to benefit their dominant political parties.
Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt and Senator George Borrello are weighing in on the proposal.
Statement from Ortt
“Today, Albany Democrats voted to rip up the will of New York voters and hand themselves a pen to gerrymander districts for the Senate, Assembly, and Congress. This is the latest in a long line of attempts by Albany Democrats to rig the rules in their favor and protect their grip on political power, and New Yorkers should be paying close attention.
“New Yorkers have already made it clear they want independent redistricting. In 2014, they voted overwhelmingly to create an independent redistricting commission. In 2021, they rejected a Democratic attempt to gut it. Now, Albany Democrats have ignored the voters and moved forward anyway with a scheme to let politicians pick their voters. That’s not protecting democracy, it’s dismantling it. And it’s exactly what you’d expect from a one-party government that has repeatedly put its own political survival ahead of the voters it was elected to serve.
“This gerrymandering will tear apart counties, cities, towns, and villages, all to serve Albany Democrats’ political interests. Hardworking New Yorkers rejected this power grab before, and they will reject it again. The Senate Republican Conference will fight this every step of the way, and in 2027, we will make sure every New Yorker knows exactly what they are voting on.”
Statement from Borrello
“Albany Democrats are in the process of shredding one of the most significant good-government reforms New Yorkers have won in a generation.
“The proposed constitutional amendment passed today by the Democrat-controlled Legislature would, if approved by voters next year, eliminate the State Constitution’s ban on partisan gerrymandering, allow Democrats to redraw congressional districts whenever it is politically advantageous, and lower the threshold for approving new maps from a supermajority vote to a simple majority.
“As if that weren’t enough, Democrats are also pursuing separate legislation that would strip the bipartisan Board of Elections of its authority to draft the ballot language and hand that power to the Democratic-controlled Legislature so they can disguise this power grab in whatever opaque, feel-good language they choose when it goes before voters.
“This whole shameful scheme is in direct defiance of the will of the voters, who twice approved constitutional reforms intended to take partisan politics out of the redistricting process and place mapmaking in the hands of an independent, bipartisan commission.
“The hypocrisy is breathtaking. These are the same Democrats who once advocated independent redistricting reform, who told New Yorkers that voters should choose their representatives, not the other way around.
“No one should be fooled about who actually started this redistricting war. Albany Democrats want to blame Washington, but they wrote the playbook. In 2022, unhappy with lines drawn by an independent special master that allowed Republicans to gain a handful of congressional seats, they launched a strategic court challenge that ultimately paved the way for Democrats to redraw the maps to their own advantage in 2024. The current White House didn’t give them this idea. If anything, it was the other way around.
“The real reason Democrats are resorting to these tactics is because they know their record is indefensible. New Yorkers are struggling under crushing taxes, soaring utility costs, an affordability crisis, public safety failures, and years of population loss as families and businesses flee to states with lower costs and greater opportunity. Rather than change course, they are attempting to change the rules.
“Every New Yorker, regardless of party, should be alarmed by this effort. The purpose of elections is for voters to choose their representatives. Albany Democrats are attempting to guarantee the opposite.
“This proposal is not about protecting democracy. It is about protecting political power. It is disgraceful and it deserves to be rejected.”
RELATED: Republicans won the redistricting battle. Now voters will decide whether they win Congress
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