New maps under-represent City voters

The proposed maps for the state Senate released today by New York’s legislative task force on redistricting (LATFOR) systematically under-represent voters from New York City, New York World has found.

And they put together this nifty map showing just that. Under the proposed new lines, the average state Senate vote by a New York City resident weighs 7.3 percent less than the average vote cast upstate. The population of almost every district north of Westchester is more 4.5 percent smaller than the average-sized district.

The principle of “one person, one vote” is a cornerstone of American election law, and the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that there must be no more than a 10 percent difference between the largest and smallest districts in a state. But even this margin allows room for manipulation. By creating systematic discrepancies in the sizes of districts, parties can create additional districts in regions that support them and dilute the voting power of regions that favor their opponents.

You can see all of our coverage on the LATFOR maps here.