Every decade, following the US Census, legislative boundaries (“lines”) are adjusted to reflect changes in the population. Nationally, this involves congressional districts while statewide, it involves the Assembly and Senate districts.
For New York City, it will reshape the 51 City Council districts. This process, called “districting,” varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. The New York City Charter establishes a Districting Commission to carry out this important function, essential to the operation of our city’s government.
Over the next few months, the Districting Commission will undertake this important task. The charter provides the commission with criteria it should use in creating the district lines. Applying constitutional standard of “one person, one vote,” the districts must be of essentially equal population.
And in complying with the Federal Voting Rights Act, the districting plan must provide an opportunity for members of the “protected classes” (blacks, Hispanics and Asian Americans) to elect candidates of their choice. The charter also encourages consideration of communities of interest, as well as observing certain technical features. For example, districts are to be compact, contiguous and respect county boundaries.
The commission’s districting plan will be subject to review by the City Council and in final form to approval or “preclearance” by the U.S. Department of Justice (or the federal district court in the District of Columbia).
In carrying out its work, the commission will be examining public records, especially the results of the most recent U.S. Census, voting records and community studies. However, the commission’s most essential resource is hearing from the public – specifically, its sense of the nature and extent of changes in population during the past decade, the shared (and divergent) interests of various population groups, and these groups’ past voting activity (registration, turnout, and voting behavior).
The decade of the 2000s saw significant population changes in the city’s population. Citywide, there was an overall increase in population and differing patterns of growth (and some decline).
Hispanic and Asian American populations grew substantially, both as to overall number and spread across the city; there was little change in white and black population, a slight increase in the former and a slight decrease in the latter.
While the commission and its professional staff will explore these and other issues, essential will be hearing directly from the public—its understanding of the changes, their meaning, and consequence for crafting the district lines.
The commission will be holding several sets of public hearings in each of the boroughs. All New Yorkers are eligible to give testimony. Our 15 commission members are drawn from each of the boroughs; they reflect the diversity of our city’s population. They are committed to a process that is transparent and inclusive of every New Yorker.
The strength of our democracy is enhanced by such participation. Make your voice heard. Make your vote count. The first cycle of hearings will begin on August 13.
Benito Romano is the chair of the NYC Districting Commission.
Carl Hum is the executive director of the NYC Districting Commission. For a list of hearing dates, go to nyc.gov/districting.
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