• Require that commissioners be appointed from a pool of diverse and qualified candidates, and set guidelines to ensure that racial and language minorities have fair and effective representation.
• Require districts to be:
•  drawn to protect racial and language minority voting rights
•  roughly equal in population
•  as compact and contiguous as possible, and
•  drawn to preserve communities of interest, but not favor or disfavor any candidate or political party.
• Require ample public hearings and other opportunities for public comment, including full access to data, maps, criteria, software, and proposed plans.
• Establish a process for the approval of the independent redistricting commission’s plan with input from the legislature.

The League will work in coalition with its good government partners to achieve these goals in the current round of redistricting.

• A3432; S2543:  These are the bills for an independent redistricting commission that the League supported last session.  They have been reintroduced.  See also Section Analysis, prepared for the prior bills and Timetable for Redistricting Plan

• Testimony before LATFOR (Albany 8/4/2011)
• Statement Before the NYS Senate and Assembly Interactive Forum on Redistricting (6/7/2011)
• Testimony before the NYS Senate Majority Conference, Senate Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment (12/16/2010)
  Testimony provided in Albany by the LWVNYS and in New York City by the LWVNYC urging the creation of an independent commission for redistricting of legislative districts.
• Testimony before the NYS Senate Majority Conference, Senate Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment (12/16/2010)
  Watch video of Barbara Bartoletti presenting the testimony to the Committee
• Presented in Albany (full written testimony of Barbara Bartoletti testimony video)
• Presented in NYC 

• Memo in Support of S1614B (6/4/2010)
  This bill eliminates the existing reapportionment and redistricting commission and replaces it with an independent commission.  The new commission’s members would be appointed by the legislative leaders from a pool of candidates selected by a nominations committee. 
  The bill also sets standards for the drawing of the new district lines.
• Legal Memo defending constitutionality of proposed redistricting bills
  ReShapeNY Refutes Claims that Redistricting Reform is not Constitutional (4/6/2011)
• Memo in Opposition to S7881A and S7882A (6/2/2010)
  These bills eliminate the existing reapportionment and redistricting commission and replace it with a commission still controlled by the legislature, either through their own service or directly chosen appointments.
• Constitutional Amendment Passed in NYS Senate (3/14/2011)
  Despite united opposition from good government groups who are working to have a truly independent redistricting commission in place in time for drawing the lines in 2012, the NY state Senate passed S.3331 March 14th by a vote of 35-24.  S.331 proposes a constitutional amendment creating a redistricting commission of non-legislators which could not be effective before 2022.  The specific problems with this approach are detailed in the group memo in opposition (click here).  We view this as an unfortunate development but not the end of the fight we are waging with our good government partners and ReShapeNY.

• nytimes.com/2011/08/24/opinion/theyre-in-the-back-room.html (9/1/2011)
• wgrz.com/news/article/131546/37/Lawmakers-Accused-of-Breaking-Campaign-Promise (9/1/2011)
• democratandchronicle.com/article/20110822/OPINION04/ (9/1/2011)
• huffingtonpost.com/morgan-pehme/10-things-you-probably (9/1/2011)
• myfitv.com/videos/1407436/newschannel-34-binghampton-redistricting-forum (9/1/2011)
• centralny.ynn.com/content/top_stories/553893/state-task-force-holds-hearing-about-redistricting/ (9/1/2011)
• poststar.com/news/opinion/columns/coyote/guest-essay-state (9/1/2011)
• mpnnow.com/opinions/x919519194/Editorial (9/1/2011)
  This editorial was repeated in the Penfield Post, Henrietta Post, Irondequoit Post, Gates Chili-Post, Fairport-East Rochester Post, and the Brighton-Pittsford Post
• queenscourier.com/articles/2011/08/14/news/top_stories/ (9/1/2011)
• democratandchronicle.com/article/20110813/NEWS02/ (9/1/2011)
• newsday.com/opinion/letter (9/1/2011)
• watertowndailytimes.com/article/20110814/NEWS02/708149967/ (9/1/2011)
• stargazette.com/article/20110816/VIEWPOINTS03/108160302/ (9/1/2011)
• uticaod.com/opinion/x919521316/Our-view-Redistricting-reform (9/1/2011)
• timesunion.com/opinion/article/Right-way-to-redistrict (9/1/2011)
• timesunion.com/local/article/Veto-threat-clouds-redistricting (9/1/2011)
• silive.com/opinion/editorials/index.ssf/2011/08/call_lawmakers_bluff (9/1/2011)
• Groups Urge Governor to Open SAGE Commission Meetings (5/25/2011)
• ReShapeNY Refutes Claims that Redistricting Reform is not Constitutional (4/6/2011)
• Press Release
• Summary of Assembly Support for Governor Cuomo’s Redistricting Bill
• Press Release (2/17/2011)
  • Talking Points for ReShape NY
  • ReShape NY List of Participating Groups
• New Report: New York’s Redistricting Practices Undermine Democracy  (10/4/2010)

• League Position
• Action Alert on Redistricting (4/5/2011)
  Get your State Assembly Member to Support Redistricting Reform for 2012; If He or She Already Supports Reform, Send a Thank You. Click here to find your Assemblymember and see if he/she already supports redistricting. Send him/her an email urging support or thanking for support.
• ReShape NY is Launched (3/14/2011)
  ReShapeNY, a campaign to achieve redistricting reform organized by Citizens Union, with the League and NYPIRG on the Leadership Team, was launched today in a simultaneous announcement in Albany and New Your City by its distinguished co-chairs and diverse coalition of thirty member organizations. For more information, see the new website: www.reshapeny.org.

• The Case for Redistricting Reform in New York State – An educational power point presentation discussing what is redistricting, why is it important now, what are the problems with the current system, and options for reform. Power Point format is available by request from the state League office at 518--465-4162 or lwvny@lwvny.org.  

• The Case for Redistricting Reform - A briefing paper examining NY State’s Redistricting (endorsed by LWVNYS, NYPIRG, Citizens Union of the City of NY, and Common Cause of NY)

• Redistricting, The Brennan Center, NYU School of Law (5/10/2010)
  
  
• See the Brennan Center’s Redistricting Website for a range of materials.