FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 25, 2022
THE NEW YORK CITY DISTRICTING COMMISSION GENERATED A RECORD-BREAKING 8,300 TESTIMONIALS ON ITS PRELIMINARY PLAN OF CITY COUNCIL MAPS
Commissioners will now shift into mapmaking based on the comments they solicited from New Yorkers
The New York City Districting Commission is sifting through more than 8,300 testimonials it received from diverse New Yorkers: in person and via zoom during 24 and half hours of hybrid public hearings in each of the five boroughs and one fully-virtual session; sent by mail; and online. This public input will enable the commission to further refine proposed maps.
The Commission’s first stage of mapmaking produced a Preliminary Plan which commissioners voted 11-2-1 to publish on July 15th. This is the plan about which so many New Yorkers have been sharing their comments.
The New York State Independent Redistricting Commission responsible for state legislative and congressional districts last year generated 3,700 testimonials. The 2013 NYC Districting Commission collected 1,500 statements.
“We made a decision early in the process that we were going to throw as wide a net as possible to solicit public opinion on the Preliminary Plan,” said Chair Dennis Walcott.
The Commission advertised in community and ethnic weeklies, on Twitter and Instagram, provided a wide array of informational sessions to community groups across the city, and sent CUNY and Summer Youth Employment Program interns canvassing across the five boroughs with palm cards promoting the hearings.
“We had such a tremendous response we had to extend our Queens hearing past midnight and added a morning Zoom hearing because demand to testify was so high.” continued Walcott. “And we’re still receiving testimonials by mail and online daily.”
To get a head start, the Commission has been tracking responses to the Preliminary Plan since it was published. Now it is preparing to redraw City Council lines based on this public testimony.
The Commission is projected to vote on this Revised Plan and submit it to the City Council on September 22nd.
The Districting Commission was established by the City Charter to draw a council plan every ten years following the U.S. Census. This process ensures that council districts reflect population and demographic changes. It includes compliance with relevant laws and regulations, the U.S. Constitution, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the New York City Charter.
The Commission’s website is www.nyc.gov/districting. Public testimony can still be submitted by email to publictestimony@redistricting.nyc.gov or by mail to 253 Broadway, 3rd Flr, NY NY 10007. Follow the Commission on Twitter and Instagram @districtingNYC.
CONTACT
Eddie Borges
eborges@redistricting.nyc.gov or 332/999-3529