House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries last week announced Rochester Congressman and former New York State Assembly Majority Leader Joe Morelle will spearhead the New York Democracy Project, the latest salvo in the national redistricting saga.
The project comes after a Supreme Court ruling further narrowed the scope of the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act. Since the ruling, both Republican and Democratic states have moved toward mid-decade redistricting as each party tries to leverage an advantage in this year’s midterm elections.
Here in New York, an amendment to the state’s Constitution would need to be passed to address redistricting changes, but it’s a time-consuming process that wouldn’t be completed before this year’s midterm elections.
But not everyone is on board with changing congressional district maps before the 2030 Census, including Assemblyman Matt Slater, a Hudson Valley Republican and ranking member of the Assembly Election Law Committee. He spoke with Capital Tonight about the issue.