ROCKLAND COUNTY. NY — New York State Senator Bill Weber is sounding the alarm over what he describes as a growing effort by Albany Democrats to use the courts and mid-cycle redistricting to reverse Republican congressional victories in New York.
According to Weber, the effort is already underway in New York’s 11th Congressional District, represented by Nicole Malliotakis, and could soon expand to target additional Republican-held seats—including New York’s 17th Congressional District, represented by Mike Lawler.
Weber said Democrats believe that redrawing congressional district lines through litigation could flip seats they failed to win at the ballot box, a move he warned would undermine voter confidence and weaken democratic norms.
Allegations of Mid-Cycle Redistricting Strategy
“This is part of a broader strategy to reduce Republican representation in New York through the courts rather than through elections,” Weber said. “Mid-cycle redistricting designed to manipulate district lines diminishes competition and erodes trust in our electoral system.”
The senator emphasized that voters were explicitly promised a fair and independent redistricting process following years of partisan gerrymandering. That promise led to the creation of New York’s Independent Redistricting Commission, which was designed to keep politics out of the map-drawing process.
However, Weber warned that some Albany Democrats are now openly discussing scrapping the independent commission altogether and allowing the legislature—along with partisan judges—to redraw congressional maps when election outcomes do not favor them.
“A Dangerous Precedent,” Weber Says
“We created the Independent Redistricting Commission to prevent exactly this kind of partisan interference,” Weber said. “Maps are meant to be drawn once per decade, following the census—not whenever one party disagrees with election results.”
Allowing courts or lawmakers to repeatedly redraw maps mid-cycle, Weber added, would set a dangerous precedent in which elected officials choose their voters, rather than voters choosing their representatives.
Call for Bipartisan Opposition
Weber urged elected officials of all political affiliations to oppose any attempt to dismantle the independent redistricting process or bypass the once-per-decade standard enshrined in law.
“Some will point to other states and say, ‘They’re doing it, so we should too,’” Weber said. “That is not who we are. New York should be better than that. We must uphold our standards and our process, not sacrifice them for short-term partisan gain. Fair maps and a consistent process protect every New Yorker’s voice.”
As legal and political debates over redistricting continue to unfold, Weber said the focus should remain on protecting voters, preserving competition, and maintaining trust in New York’s elections.
