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Senate approves constitutional amendment to alter redistricting process after hours of heated debate
Summary
The New York State Senate passed a proposed constitutional amendment that would change several rules governing the Independent Redistricting Commission and give the Legislature new authority over congressional maps; supporters say the change gives the state flexibility in response to partisan mapmaking elsewhere, while opponents say it overturns voter-approved protections and will be decided by voters in a later referendum.
The New York State Senate voted to pass a proposed constitutional amendment that would change how the state redraws legislative and congressional districts, setting up a second procedural step before the measure can reach voters.
The amendment, sponsored in the calendar by Senator Andrea Stewart‑Cousins and defended on the floor by Senate floor leader Senator Michael Gianaris, would alter multiple provisions of the Independent Redistricting Commission process. Opponents and several questioners pressed the sponsor on whether the measure removes previously enshrined protections; at one point a senator asked directly whether the amendment "removes the two‑thirds majority requirement in the Legislature," and the sponsor acknowledged it would.
Supporters said the change aims to give New York flexibility to respond to what they described as aggressive partisan redistricting in other states, and emphasized that any amendment must still pass a second legislative session and then win a public referendum before taking effect. "The people of this state ultimately will opine on whatever we pass," Senator Gianaris told the chamber, arguing the proposal merely allows New York to "be more responsive to what's going on around the country." Opponents said the proposal weakens public protections adopted by voters in prior referenda. Senator Martins described the measure as a rollback of voter‑approved, bipartisan reforms and warned it would allow legislators to select favored incumbents and parties.
The two‑sided, hours‑long floor debate featured repeated exchanges: critics argued the amendment eliminates several enumerated safeguards (compactness language and prohibitions against favoring incumbents or parties), while proponents said federal and state developments require a different approach. Several senators warned the change could permit legislative map changes more frequently than the decennial cycle; supporters replied that such actions would remain subject to legal review and, ultimately, voter approval.
After extensive debate the Senate recorded a roll call: AYES 38, NAYS 22. Because the measure is a constitutional amendment it must pass the Legislature again in a subsequent session and then appear on the ballot for voters to ratify before it can take effect.
The floor record shows the core dispute focused on process and the boundaries of voter‑approved limits. Backers framed the vote as giving New York a tool to protect the state’s interests at the federal level; critics described it as undoing the intent of past referenda that removed partisan mapmaking from direct legislative control.
