{"id":1088,"date":"2026-06-02T22:14:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T22:14:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1088"},"modified":"2026-06-02T22:14:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T22:14:13","slug":"dems-push-to-change-nys-constitution-in-map-drawing-power-grab-to-eliminate-gop-seats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1088","title":{"rendered":"Dems push to change NYS constitution in map-drawing power grab to eliminate GOP seats"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>ALBANY \u2013 Democratic lawmakers are looking to change the state constitution in a power grab that will allow them to carve up congressional maps \u2014 and target seven Republican-held seats.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1086\">What you need to get \u2018Game Day Ready\u2019 for the FIFA World Cup 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p>A proposed amendment released Monday by the Democratic majority would give its own members authority to change the maps to draw new congressional district lines favorable to their candidates, with insiders saying it could mean flipping at least four GOP congressional seats in the state.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats, who control both houses of the state legislature and hold a more than 2-to-1 voter enrollment advantage over Republicans, would need voters to approve the measure on their November 2027 election ballots.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re trying to eliminate dissent and cement one-party rule in this state,\u201d former US Rep. John Faso, New York Republicans\u2019 redistricting czar, told The Post Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>The latest move would remove language establishing a ban on gerrymandering in the state and would also allow the map to be changed mid-decade, despite US House lines usually being crafted based on the latest census.<\/p>\n<p>The amendment would also:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Keep New York\u2019s bipartisan redistricting commission in place, but give a simple majority of both houses the ability to override a proposed map from panel. A two-thirds majority is currently required, which allos Republicans to block such a move.<\/li>\n<li>Remove language dictating that districts \u201cshall not be drawn to discourage competition,\u201d effectively allowing political gerrymandering<\/li>\n<li>Allows the legislature to change the maps mid-decade, opening the door for new districts for the 2028 presidential election<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>While the state legislature plans to pass the bill this week, setting up a process where they have to pass it again next year in order to put it on the ballot next November, it\u2019s unclear whether Democrats will be able to rally the support to approve the ballot measure.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think the voters are going to very skeptical of it,\u201d pointing out that New Yorkers approved the amendment to set up the current process in 2014 with 58% of the vote, and rejected subsequent efforts to change it.<\/p>\n<p>But US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Gov. Kathy Hochul and other top Dems are confident that New York voters, 48% of which are registered Democrats, will back the move as they position the amendment as a reaction against President Trump and redistricting pushes in red states.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1083\">Exclusive | What CBS staffers are really saying about Scott Pelley\u2019s brazen attack on new \u201960 Minutes\u2019 boss<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Former Democratic Gov. David Paterson told The Post Tuesday he thinks the ballot measure will succeed and that a majority of voters will get behind the effort.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe voters are not, at least in New York State, are no more endeared to what they\u2019re doing in Texas than the legislators in New York State,\u201d Paterson said.<\/p>\n<p>But he said \u201cthe sad part about this whole thing\u201d is that Democrats have to feel compelled to blow up a somewhat independent process do what he considers an \u201cact of resistance\u201d against Washington.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey may see this, and they may be right, that this is an act of resistance,\u201d Paterson said of Albany Democrats.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) described Texas and other Republican states\u2019 redistricting efforts as \u201cruthless\u201d but declined to characterize his party\u2019s response in New York likewise.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m going to play fair based on how other people play,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>A massive 71% Bronx pol\u2019s home borough voted in favor of the 2014 amendment to set up the independent redistricting process, more than any other county.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1081\">Aaron Judge sidelined with shoulder injury in massive Yankees concern<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Official language of the proposed amendment released late Monday would make it easier for Democrats, who\u2019ve controlled both houses for much of the last decade, to ram through rigged new congressional district lines meant to favor their candidates by cordoning out certain voters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1087,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1088","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-metro"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Dems push to change NYS constitution in map-drawing power grab to eliminate GOP seats - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1088\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dems push to change NYS constitution in map-drawing power grab to eliminate GOP seats - Metro Transit Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Official language of the proposed amendment released late Monday would make it easier for Democrats, who\u2019ve controlled both houses for much of the last decade, to ram through rigged new congressional district lines meant to favor their candidates by cordoning out certain voters.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1088\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Metro Transit Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-02T22:14:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1088#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1088\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14\"},\"headline\":\"Dems push to change NYS constitution in map-drawing power grab to eliminate GOP seats\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-02T22:14:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1088\"},\"wordCount\":623,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1088#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/67e6ddcb9ecc4c9e99aeb10f62405bd5.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Metro\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1088#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1088\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1088\",\"name\":\"Dems push to change NYS constitution in map-drawing power grab to eliminate GOP seats - Metro Transit Review\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1088#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1088#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/67e6ddcb9ecc4c9e99aeb10f62405bd5.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-02T22:14:13+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1088#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1088\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1088#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/67e6ddcb9ecc4c9e99aeb10f62405bd5.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/67e6ddcb9ecc4c9e99aeb10f62405bd5.webp\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":799},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1088#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Dems push to change NYS constitution in map-drawing power grab to eliminate GOP seats\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Metro Transit Review\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Dems push to change NYS constitution in map-drawing power grab to eliminate GOP seats - Metro Transit Review","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1088","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Dems push to change NYS constitution in map-drawing power grab to eliminate GOP seats - Metro Transit Review","og_description":"Official language of the proposed amendment released late Monday would make it easier for Democrats, who\u2019ve controlled both houses for much of the last decade, to ram through rigged new congressional district lines meant to favor their candidates by cordoning out certain voters.","og_url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1088","og_site_name":"Metro Transit Review","article_published_time":"2026-06-02T22:14:13+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1088#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1088"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14"},"headline":"Dems push to change NYS constitution in map-drawing power grab to eliminate GOP seats","datePublished":"2026-06-02T22:14:13+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1088"},"wordCount":623,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1088#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/67e6ddcb9ecc4c9e99aeb10f62405bd5.webp","articleSection":["Metro"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1088#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1088","url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1088","name":"Dems push to change NYS constitution in map-drawing power grab to eliminate GOP seats - Metro Transit Review","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1088#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1088#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/67e6ddcb9ecc4c9e99aeb10f62405bd5.webp","datePublished":"2026-06-02T22:14:13+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1088#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1088"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1088#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/67e6ddcb9ecc4c9e99aeb10f62405bd5.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/67e6ddcb9ecc4c9e99aeb10f62405bd5.webp","width":1200,"height":799},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1088#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Dems push to change NYS constitution in map-drawing power grab to eliminate GOP seats"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/","name":"Metro Transit Review","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/metrotransitreview.com"],"url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1088","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1088"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1088\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1087"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1088"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1088"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1088"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}