Democrats want to redraw New York’s map — their own state law may not let them

A landmark Supreme Court decision rewriting the limits of the Voting Rights Act has triggered a nationwide redistricting scramble — and now Democrats in New York are trying to use the ruling to their advantage, even as their own state law may stop them cold.

The court’s April 29 decision struck down a racially gerrymandered Louisiana congressional district, ruling the Voting Rights Act cannot be used to force states to create minority-majority districts unless there is clear evidence of racial discrimination. The ruling marked a significant narrowing of a law long used to protect minority voting power.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, New York Democrat, wasted no time. Mr. Jeffries said Monday he directed Rep. Joseph Morelle to meet with state leaders to discuss redrawing New York’s congressional map “for the balance of the decade.” Democrats currently hold 16 of New York’s 26 U.S. House seats; Republicans hold 10.

“This is just the beginning,” Mr. Jeffries said. “Across the nation, we will sue, we will redraw and we will win.”

But New York’s own Voting Rights Act of 2022 bans mid-decade redistricting. Any change would require a constitutional amendment passed by two consecutive legislative sessions and approved by voters in a referendum — a lengthy and uncertain path.

State Sen. Michael Gianaris, a Democrat, has introduced legislation to begin that process.

The ruling has also set off redistricting pushes in Alabama, Louisiana and Tennessee, where Republican-led legislatures are moving quickly to redraw maps that had been drawn to ensure minority representation in Congress.

Read more:

• Redistricting fight moves to New York and three southern states