The Democrats' new redistricted maps, attacked from both sides

New York's new district maps are accused of being partisan and discriminatory [FORWARD TO A FRIEND]( [VIEW IN BROWSER]( [DONATE]( [WNYC Politics Brief] As GOP sues state over new political maps, groups in marginalized communities weigh doing the same [By Arun Venugopal]( [the state house in Albany] Shutterstock Several New York City groups representing communities of color say they may join [Republicans suing to block newly redrawn congressional maps]( pushed through by Democratic state lawmakers and signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul. The advocates say lawmakers unfairly divided Black, Latino and Asian populations and spread them among several districts, reducing voters’ chances to elect representatives from those groups, particularly in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and other areas with high concentrations of non-white voters. "Not always and not in all cases do the interests of the Democratic Party fully align with the interests of communities of color," said Lurie Daniel-Favors, executive director of the Center for Law and Social Justice at Medgar Evers College, which is part of the Unity Map Coalition, an umbrella group that advocates for communities of color. A lawsuit filed last week by a group of Republicans claims that "the Democratic Party politicians who control the New York Legislature and Governor’s office brazenly enacted a congressional map that is undeniably politically gerrymandered in their party’s favor." The advocates for communities of color have other objections. Jerry Vattamala, an attorney and director of the Democracy Program at the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, pointed to the area of Richmond Hill and South Ozone Park in Queens, which has a strong South Asian and Indo-Caribbean population. It was [previously carved into seven state Assembly districts]( depriving the community of South Asian political representation. The Unity Map Coalition pushed for the neighborhood to be contained in one Assembly district; under the newly drawn lines, Vattamala said, it is spread across three Assembly districts. "They’re still in a terrible situation," he said. Michael Li, a redistricting expert at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, said the new maps would benefit communities of color "in some ways" while undermining them in others. For example, the new boundaries of Congressional District 7 in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, would strengthen the white population’s electoral hand at the expense of Latinos, said Fulvia Vargas De Leon of Latino Justice. “They are just going to be an insignificant voting bloc,” she said. Jerry Vattamala said that historically, district lines had ensured that Asian New Yorkers were deprived of political representation. That began to improve, he said, once redistricting allowed for a congressional district with much of Flushing intact. "Once we had that, a plurality Asian district, several months later, Grace Meng was elected (in 2012) as the first Asian American elected to Congress from New York state," he said. --------------------------------------------------------------- 🗳️ --------------------------------------------------------------- For Further Reading [ voters cast ballots in a school gym]( VOTING? IN FEBRUARY?! [Early voting is underway in two New York City special elections]( Voters in the 60th Assembly District in Brooklyn and the 72nd Assembly District in Manhattan can vote early through February 13th, ahead of Election Day on February 15th. [the statehouse in Albany]( MATCHING FUNDS [New York's Public Campaign Finance Board is trying to get up and running]( The PCFB, which will provide candidates with matching funds for small-dollar donations, is currently scrambling for office space in Albany. [a close-up of Manhattan AG Alvin Bragg]( BRAGG BACKTRACKS [Manhattan DA walks back some stances in maligned policy memo]( D.A. Alvin Bragg, who ran and won on promises of criminal justice reform, walked back his push to soften punishments for armed robbery and resisting arrest. [State Sen. Allesandra Biaggi in the senate chamber]( NEW TILT FOR DISTRICT 3? [State Sen. Alesandra Biaggi is running for Congress]( The left-leaning legislator will run in District 3 — which is currently represented by centrist Democrat Tom Suozzi — now that the new map includes parts of the Bronx and Westchester County in the district. --------------------------------------------------------------- 🗳️ --------------------------------------------------------------- [the logo for The United States of Anxiety]( [How to avoid the "affirmative action" ploy]( Biden’s vow to finally appoint a Black woman to the Supreme Court has ignited a debate before a nomination has even materialized. How do you fight for representation, without getting stuck in the tired old debate over affirmative action? [LISTEN FOR FREE]( Support WNYC + Gothamist Make a donation to support local, independent journalism. Your contributions are our largest source of funding and pays for essential election coverage and more. [DONATE]( [Facebook]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Instagram]( [WNYC]( [WQXR]( [NJPR]( [GOTHAMIST]( [WNYC STUDIOS]( [THE GREENE SPACE]( Copyright © New York Public Radio. 160 Varick Street, New York, NY 10013 All rights reserved. [Terms of Use.]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your [preferences]( or [unsubscribe]( from this list