New York City Council Redistricting Fact Sheet
Who is responsible for redistricting New York City Council districts?
A special Redistricting Commission is responsible for the redistricting process in New York
City, not the task force that handles New York State assembly, senate and congressional
redistricting (LATFOR). The Commission has 15 members. City Council appoints 8 members
and the Mayor appoints the remaining 7.
Diversity – The Commission should have members of the racial and language minority groups
protected by the Voting Rights Act, in proportion, as close as practicable, to their population in
the City (though this provision of the City Charter is not legally enforceable, see Ravitch v. City
of New York, 1992 U.S. Dist. Lexis 11481 (S.D.N.Y. Aug. 3, 1992)). Elected officials, registered
lobbyists, and City employees may not be appointed to the Commission.
2013 Redistricting Calendar
Deadline
Jan. 5, 2012
Action
The Mayor was required to convene a meeting with all of the
appointing/recommending authorities (City Council) to establish a
screening and selection process for ensuring that NYC's racial and
language minority groups protected by the federal Voting Rights Act,
will be fairly represented on the Commission. N. Y. CITY, N.Y. CITY
CHARTER, ch. 2-A, § 50(b)(2)(2004).
May 5, 2012
The City Council must make appointments to the Commission. N. Y.
CITY, N.Y. CITY CHARTER, ch. 2-A, § 50(c)(2004).
June 5, 2012
The Mayor must make appointments to the Commission. N. Y. CITY,
N.Y. CITY CHARTER, ch. 2-A, § 50(c)(2004).
Sept. 5, 2012
Commission makes redistricting plan available to public for inspection
and comment. N. Y. CITY, N.Y. CITY CHARTER, ch. 2-A, § 51(b)
(2004).
Oct. 5, 2012
Commission must hold “one or more” public hearings about plan.
N. Y. CITY , N.Y. CITY CHARTER, ch. 2-A, § 51(b) (2004).
Nov.5, 2012
Commission submits district plan to City Council for approval. N. Y.
CITY , N.Y. C ITY CHARTER, ch. 2-A, § 51(c)(2004).
Nov. 26, 2012
Council can formally file objections to initial plan. Formal objections
from the Council require a vote passed by a Council majority and are
presented to the commission along with a statement of the Council’s
objections. Individual Council member objections separate from the
Council’s formal objections that are filed by this date are also passed
on, either with the formal objection or independently. N. Y. CITY, N.Y.
CITY CHARTER, ch. 2-A, § 51(d)(2004). U.S.C. 1973,
Jan. 5, 2013
Commission submits revised plan for public and Council inspection
and comment (if Council has formally filed objections to plan). N. Y.
CITY , N.Y. C ITY CHARTER, ch. 2-A, § 51(d)(2004). “The commission
shall hold public hearings and seek public comment on such revised
plan.” N. Y. C ITY, N.Y. CITY CHARTER, ch. 2-A, § 51(e)(2004).
Mar. 5, 2013
Commission submits a final plan, following consideration of the public
and Council comments, to the Council for approval. N.Y. CITY , N.Y.
CITY CHARTER, ch. 2-A, § 51(e) (2004). Council submits final plan to
the Department of Justice for pre-clearance.
July 8-11 2013
Filing period for designating petitions. N.Y. ELEC. LAW § 6-158
(Consol. 2007). Petitions must be signed by 5% of the district or 900
individuals, whichever figure is less. N.Y. ELEC. LAW § 6-136 (Consol.
2007).
Sept. 10, 2013
Primary election
Nov. 5, 2013
General election
Approval - Once the plan is presented to the City Council, the plan will be deemed adopted
unless the City Council, by majority vote, passes a resolution objecting to the plan.
Preclearance - The Commission is responsible for submitting the plan to the U.S. Justice
Department's Civil Rights Division (DOJ) or the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
for preclearance pursuant to Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.
In New York City, New York County (Manhattan), Kings County (Brooklyn) and Bronx County
are covered jurisdictions under Section 5. This requires proof that the proposed City Council
redistricting plan does not weaken the voting strength of racial and ethnic minorities in those
counties. If the jurisdiction is unable to prove the absence of such discrimination, the District
Court denies the requested judgment, or in the case of administrative submissions, the DOJ
objects to the change, and it remains legally unenforceable. Interested members of the public
can submit comment letters to the DOJ requesting the DOJ to approve or deny preclearance.
Criteria for the districts - applied and given priority in the order in which they are listed
(N.Y. CITY CHARTER, ch. 2-A, §52(1) (2004)):
1) Population. The difference between the most populous and the least populous council district
must not exceed 10% of the average population for all council districts. Any such differences in
population must be justified by one or more of the other criteria stated in the City Charter. N.Y.
CITY CHARTER, ch. 2-A, §52(a) (2004).
2) Fair and effective representation. The districting plan must be established in a manner that
ensures the fair and effective representation of the racial and language minority groups in New
York City which are protected by the Voting Rights Act. N.Y. CITY CHARTER, ch. 2-A, §52(1)(b)
(2004).
3) Communities of Interest. District lines should keep intact neighborhoods and communities
with established ties of common interest and association, whether historical, racial, economic,
ethnic, religious or other. N.Y. CITY CHARTER, ch. 2-A, §52(1)(c) (2004).
4) Compactness. Each district must be compact and cannot be more than twice as long as it is
wide. The districting plan must be established in a manner that minimizes the sum of the length
of the boundaries of all of the districts included in the plan. N.Y. CITY CHARTER, ch. 2-A, §52(1)
(d)(g) (2004).
5) Contiguity. Each district must be contiguous, and whenever a part of a district is separated
from the rest of the district by a body of water, there must be a connection by a bridge, a tunnel,
a tramway or by regular ferry service. N.Y. CITY CHARTER, ch. 2-A, §52(2) (2004).
6) Political boundaries. A district cannot cross borough or county boundaries. If any district
includes territory in two boroughs, then no other district may also include territory from the same
two boroughs. N.Y. CITY CHARTER, ch. 2-A, §52(3) (2004).
NYC City Council Population and Districts of Interest for Asian Americans
With 51 seats, the ideal City Council district size is 160,297 people. Each district can deviate
from this number by a maximum total deviation of +/- 10%. The population for the boroughs
with large numbers of Asian Americans is as follows:
CENSUS 2010
Total
Population
Asian
Population
New York State
New York City
- Queens
- Manhattan
- Brooklyn
19,378,102
8,175,133
2,230,722
1,585,873
2,504,700
1,406,194
1,028,119
508,334
177,624
260,129
Asian
Percent of
Total
7.3%
12.6%
22.8%
11.2%
10.4%
Total
Growth
Since 2000
2.1%
2.1%
0.1 %
3.2%
1.6%
Asian
Growth
Since 2000
35.7%
31.8%
30.6%
24.0%
41.2%
Map of Current City Council Districts
The following districts are of particular concern for Asian Americans:
Queens – Queens City Council Districts
District 20 - Flushing and portion of Bayside (currently 64.1% Asian American)
District 23 - Floral Park/Bellerose/Queens Village/Glen Oaks and portion of Bayside (36.6%
Asian American)
District 25 - Elmhurst and Jackson Heights (34.5% Asian American)
Brooklyn – Brooklyn City Council Districts
District 38 - Sunset Park (32.7% Asian American)
Manhattan – Manhattan City Council Districts
District 1 – Chinatown (35.9% Asian American)
The Commission must release their redistricting plan to the public by September 5, 2012 and
must hold public hearing regarding their plan by October 5, 2012. AALDEF will again be
meeting with community organizations to develop a map proposal that protects the voting
strength of racial and ethnic minorities, to submit to the Commission in advance of the
September 5, 2012 deadline.
Contact:
Jerry Vattamala
212.966.5932 ex.209
jvattamala@aaldef.org