COPYRIGHT 2023 CAROLE OSTERINK
Thursday, April 20, 2023
IRC Releases Final Map
After months of work, the Independent Redistricting Commission released the final map of Assembly Districts about an hour ago. The commissioners voted 9 to 1 to deliver the final map to the legislature.
Commenting prior to the vote, Ross Brady, the only member of the commission who did not support the final map, said the map followed "too slavishly" the district lines from the 2022 Assembly map. When it comes to Columbia County, it appears that nothing has changed from 2022. The county is still divided between two Assembly districts, and Hudson is still part of Assembly District 106, now represented by Didi Barrett.
To explore the final map for yourself, click here.
What is noteworthy about the map that the NYIRC submitted to the legislature on Thursday is that it differs markedly from the draft assembly plan that was published for comment in December. That initial map would have moved Hudson out of Assembly District 106, now represented by Didi Barrett, and into a new 107 district to the north, which reached far west into Greene County and north of Albany. If the Commission had stayed with its first iteration, Hudson would have been in a red district and most likely would not have had a Democrat representing us in Albany for the next ten years. Let's hope that the legislature accepts the proposed map and that it is not challenged in a lawsuit.
ReplyDeleteThe opening statement of Commission Chair Ken Jenkins pointed to the bi-partisan support for the submitted map and the help of an expert "to consider whether the lines it drew would result in the denial or abridgement or racial or language-minority voting roting rights and to ensure that districts were drawn such that based on the totality of the circumstances racial or minority-language groups do not have less opportunity to participate in the political process than other members of the electorate and to elect representatives of their choice." Had the NYIRC not moved away from their original proposal minorities in Hudson would have been deprived of this opportunity because of ddilution of their voting power. Kudos to the Commission for listening to public feedback.