NEW YORK, June 4 - New York state Democrats have taken a formal step toward remapping the state's congressional districts for the 2028 election cycle, advancing a constitutional amendment that would give the legislature direct authority to draw new U.S. House lines instead of relying on an independent redistricting commission.
Late on Wednesday, both chambers of the state legislature - the state Senate and the state Assembly, each under Democratic control - approved the proposed amendment. Under New York law the amendment requires a second legislative passage in 2027, followed by voter approval in a referendum prior to 2028, before it could take effect.
The amendment would make a significant change to the state's legal framework by removing New York's existing ban on partisan gerrymandering - the practice of designing electoral maps to favor one political party. Democrats currently hold 19 of New York's 26 U.S. House seats. Analysts cited by lawmakers say that a new map could eventually provide Democrats with as many as four additional seats.
Supporters of the move, including Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul and Democratic U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who represents a Brooklyn-based district, have urged state legislators to act forcefully. Their calls frame the proposal as a response to Republican-led efforts elsewhere to redraw maps in ways that reduce Democratic representation, part of a broader national redistricting battle that has already altered dozens of districts.
Republicans have recently secured a notable advantage in the redistricting contest following a U.S. Supreme Court decision in April that significantly weakened protections under the Voting Rights Act. In the weeks since that ruling, several Republican-governed Southern states moved quickly to eliminate districts held by Democrats that contain substantial Black populations, according to the account in the legislative debate.
Even so, Democrats are still regarded as the favorites to reclaim control of the U.S. House in the upcoming November midterm elections, a position attributed in part to negative approval ratings for President Donald Trump that are perceived to weigh on his party's prospects.
New York is expected to be among multiple states - under both Democratic and Republican control - that will pursue new congressional maps ahead of the 2028 cycle, extending the redistricting fight into another electoral period. The proposed amendment's passage through the legislature this week sets the procedural stage for a lengthy process that would include further legislative approval and a public referendum before any new lines could be enacted.