Redistricting & New York Primaries

The 2022 New York Primary is SO confusing this year. Let me explain.

You’ve probably heard this being talked about a lot – Redistricting.

Every 10 years, lines get redrawn to map out congressional districts and state legislative districts. That’s called redistricting.
Remember the big push to get everyone to fill out the Census in 2020? (In case you forgot, here’s a reminder from Cardi B). Well, the Census also happens every 10 years, right before redistricting. Redistricting utilizes the information that’s collected in the Census.

Why does redistricting need to happen if the lines have already been drawn?

Because it’s written in the Constitution. The Constitution says that the number of U.S. Representatives of any state is based on that state’s population. Which is why the number of Representatives for each state is different. For example, New York has 27 Representatives, and California has 53.

Obviously, our population size has changed since the Constitution was written, so district lines need to be updated regularly. This means that every 10 years, there is a possibility that your Representative changes, depending on your geographic area. As a result, candidates usually wait until redistricting is complete before they begin campaigning so that they know exactly where their district is.

What does this have to do with New York and its primaries?

Long story short – New York had completed its redistricting process in January 2022. Lines had been redrawn for the new congressional districts with plenty of time to spare for candidates to campaign and for constituents to vote in the June primary.

BUT! (and I’m really sparing you from the long boring details here) – The NY Court of Appeals rejected the Congressional and State Senate maps that had been drawn up. They determined that gerrymandering was used, which is when district lines get drawn with influence from a political group to favor their party and their chances at getting elected/re-elected.

Where does this leave us?

The maps are now being redrawn again. They’re supposed to be completed by May 20. That leaves almost no time before the primary election, which means that the primary schedule has been changed.

Here’s the new election schedule: