New York, NY (June 2, 2026) – Citizens Union today released the following statement from Executive Director Grace Rauh in response to the introduction of a last-minute redistricting amendment in the State Legislature.

“New Yorkers are right to be upset about threats to democratic representation, from Trump-led mid-decade redistricting efforts to recent Supreme Court decisions that have weakened voting rights protections. But rather than protecting New York voters, state lawmakers have chosen to join the attack. This last-minute redistricting proposal from legislative leaders guts all existing safeguards in the State Constitution and returns New York to an era where lawmakers picked their voters and party bosses drew districts to eliminate challengers. This maximalist amendment places almost no restrictions on mapmaking, needlessly applies to state senate and assembly districts, strips the Independent Redistricting Commission of meaningful authority, and grants lawmakers power to redraw congressional districts whenever they want, unrelated to whether other states are engaging in mid-decade redistricting.

“A companion bill would abandon New York’s longstanding practice of neutral ballot-question wording and instead place control over ballot language in the hands of elected officials with a direct stake in the outcome; a short-sighted rollback only to benefit one risky referendum.

“Lawmakers had other options. They could have adopted a narrowly tailored response focused on congressional districts. They could have created a trigger mechanism tied to actions taken by other states. They could have addressed the shortcomings with the Independent Redistricting Commission. They could even have considered multiple alternatives and revisited the issue next year as the national redistricting landscape develops.

“Instead, legislative leaders negotiated in private a sweeping proposal that removes many of the state’s most important voter protections and green-lights a gerrymandering operation that few New Yorkers have asked for but a handful of political leaders in Washington.”

Most worrisome changes in the proposed amendment:

• Ban on partisan and incumbent-protecting gerrymandering removed. Current constitutional protections prohibit districts from being drawn to favor or disfavor political parties or particular candidates. These protections also help prevent the long-standing practice of party leaders drawing districts around specific incumbents or candidates to protect from primary challengers. The amendment eliminates these safeguards for congressional, State Senate, and Assembly districts.
• Compactness requirements eliminated. Existing constitutional standards require districts to be as compact in form as practicable. Under this proposal, New Yorkers could once again see strangely shaped districts that bear little relationship to neighborhoods or communities – again, for congressional, State Senate, and Assembly districts.
• Community splitting given a green light. The proposal removes important protections for counties, cities, towns, and other political subdivisions. Existing safeguards require mapmakers to consider preserving these boundaries and help prevent the unnecessary splitting of communities that was commonplace before the 2014 reforms.
• Remaining redistricting criteria diluted. The mapmaking safeguards that survive – including protections for minority voters – would no longer be standards that “shall be used” when drawing districts. Instead, they would merely receive “consideration,” substantially weakening their force.
• Legislative control over map drawing restored at every stage. The Legislature would regain authority to draw maps after the Independent Redistricting Commission acts or fails to act, after a court invalidates a redistricting plan, and, for congressional districts, at virtually any point.
• Maps can be approved by a simple majority. No longer would lawmakers need to build broad consensus around a redistricting plan. Legislative leaders would need only 50 percent plus one vote to enact new district lines, reducing incentives for bipartisan or broad intra-party consensus.
• Perpetual congressional redistricting. The Legislature would have the power to redraw congressional districts before any election and without any requirement that another state first engage in mid-decade redistricting.
• Independent Redistricting Commission reduced to a shell. The Commission would retain responsibility for conducting public hearings, but those testimonies would go nowhere, knowing that the power to draw maps would effectively be transferred back to the Legislature.