Redistricting

Texas wants to gerrymander its congressional districts. What should we do about it? Gov. Hochul wants to maximize Democratic congressional districts to match what Texas Republicans are trying to do there. Some in New York complain that’s improper gerrymandering.

One of the big political news stories last week was the effort by President Trump and his allies to steam roll through changes to Congressional lines in “red” states in order to boost the likelihood that Republicans will continue to control the House of Representatives after the 2026 elections.

(Airs 08/08/25 @ 10 p.m.) The Legislative Gazette is a weekly program about New York State Government and politics. On this week’s Gazette: Governor Kathy Hochul says Democratic leaders in the state are exploring their redistricting options in response to the GOP’s efforts to gerrymander in Texas, legislation to ban the use of masks by ICE agents is being pushed by a multi-state coalition of state legislators, and if you’re wondering where to safely catch and eat fish in New York, there’s a website for that.

(Airs 08/07/25 @ 3 p.m.) WAMC’s David Guistina in conversation with John Kaehney, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Reinvent Albany, about Governor Hochul’s fight over redistricting with Texas Republicans, whether the state legislature will convene in special session to deal with federal cuts, and much more.

Tonko seeks a change at the federal level that would even the playing field. In 2021, the House, then controlled by Democrats, passed a voting law that languished in the Senate that would require states to utilize independent redistricting bodies to draw Congressional maps.

As Republicans fear losing their narrow House majority in the upcoming midterms, GOP leaders in some states are discussing redrawing Congressional district boundaries to give their party an advantage in 2026.

I’ve been redistricted again. I haven’t moved, but New York’s new congressional district boundaries have, and the new lines divide our little town between two districts – neither of them represented by our current member of Congress. And it makes me feel a bit, well, disempowered. It’s as though politicians chose whose constituent I will be, rather than me choosing the politician who will represent me.

New York state leaders swiftly approved a new set of Congressional district maps on Wednesday, rejecting a plan advanced by a bipartisan commission. Voting rights activists and several Republican lawmakers are criticizing the move.

(Airs 03/01/24 @ 10 p.m.) The Legislative Gazette is a weekly program about New York State Government and politics. On this week’s Gazette: After a long, drawn-out fight, Governor Hochul approves a new congressional map, we’ll take you to the food justice summit in the Adirondacks, and friends, gay marriage advocates, and the former mayor of New Paltz gather together to remember their act of civil disobedience.

(Airs 02/29/24 @ 3 p.m.) WAMC’s David Guistina in conversation with Susan Lerner, the Executive Director of Common Cause New York, about the newly approved congressional redistricting maps, voting and elections, public campaign financing, money in politics and the importance of media in a democracy.