The Independent View: NY Citizens Redistricting Committee

With the census complete, New York will lose two congressional seats. We would like to see an independent redistricting commission.

One group. New York Uprising, is focused on the creation of a non-partisan redistricting commission. A new group, NY Citizens Redistricting Committee, will focus entirely on the mapping process, highlighting areas where the commission or the Legislature is leaving lines gerrymandered, and holding them accountable at meetings around the state.

NY Citizens Redistricting Committee will consist of a bipartisan 13-member panel of prominent New Yorkers from around the state that will critique the work of the non-partisan redistricting commission—or the Legislature, if no commission is formed.

Common Cause, the nonprofit and nonpartisan citizen's lobbying organization promoting open, honest and accountable government, also recently hired a research coordinator, Brian Paul, to operate the organization’s district mapping software.

State Sen. Mike Gianaris, who has been leading the charge for independent redistricting for the Senate Democrats, said NY Citizens Redistricting Committee could prove especially helpful if Senate Republicans go back on their pledge to create a independent redistricting panel.

“We know that redistricting has been abused in the past and we know that Senate Republicans are trying to renege on their commitment,” Gianaris said, “so we absolutely need an independent watchdog when the Senate Republicans try to further gerrymander district lines.”

But there is skepticism in the reform community about the group's potential impact, with some noting that New York Uprising’s effectiveness was through its campaign activity in last year’s election. Though Citizens Union signed on with New York Uprising early, other good government groups were less vocal in their support.

“The problem is that these people think politics is a dirty word and so they never accomplish anything,” said one person involved in non-partisan redistricting efforts. “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result, and I assume this will work about as well as their past efforts.”

We need as many eyes we can get to keep this process independent and effective.