SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – New York’s District-22 received a new look last week. The New York State Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) and State Legislature approved new changes that moved the district more south and west, as opposed to north and east.
“We tried not to split counties, sometimes you just have to because the math is the math,” Ken Jenkins, Chair of the New York State Independent Redistricting Commission, said about what went into the commissions process. “But we certainly worked through that. But the communities of interest in those voices that were heard throughout this public input process, were the things that we utilized in making adjustments.”
The maps originally submitted by the IRC earlier in February were declined by legislature. The state then utilized the statute allowing them to redraw the maps as long as they change less than 2% of what the IRC initially submitted. Once the new maps were drawn the legislature and Governor Kathy Hochul approved and made the new districts official.
The changes to New York’s 22nd district will result in a 31,000-person voter enrollment advantage for the Democrats.
“I haven’t been a fan of the process in New York State at all,” Dustin Czarny, Onondaga County Elections Commissioner, said about the map making process even with the positive result for Democrats. “It’s not independent redistricting its political appointees on the board. There’s no tie-breaking mechanism, it can lead to a lot of gridlock.
The new maps impact Republican representative Brandon Williams. In 2020, President Biden won District-22 by 7.6%. However, with the new maps the president would have won the district by 11.6%.
“It requires compromise,” Jenkins said about the commission’s ability to come together. “It requires consensus. And some people have said that was favoritism and not favoritism. But at the end of the day, that’s what compromise is. It’s negotiation and discussion.”
These new maps will last upwards of seven years until the 2030 census and the 2032 election.
