Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - As a Texas-sized showdown over redistricting is unfolding in the Lone Star State, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and state legislative leaders are condemning what's happening in Texas, and at the same time, saying they will consider doing it here.
Jack O'Donnell of O'Donnell and Associates tells WBEN the reality is it is
not something that can happen anytime soon in New York State because of the state constitution.
"Democrats have introduced legislation that needs to pass two houses of two different legislatures, and then it needs to be put before voters in 2027," said O'Donnell on Tuesday. "The soonest it could be effective is 2028."
He said New York Democrats are simply saying if Texas Republicans are doing it, they should do it too.
Congress could step in and pass rules about how redistricting could work across the country, but he's not betting on it.
If Democrats were to have their way, what would redistricting look like?
"They could draw new maps, by starting over essentially. Democrats could do some real damage to Republicans in places like Long Island, Brooklyn and Staten Island. and in the Hudson Valley. Upstate, there are too many geographically Republican areas to make any hard changes," O'Donnell added.
The terms "redistricting" and "gerrymandering" seem to be used interchangeably, but O'Donnell says they are not the same thing.
"Redistricting is the simple process of redrawing the lines and there are rules about how you put people together. Gerrymandering is the process of prioritizing the politics of it; packing Republicans together, packing Democrats together in order to gain a partisan advantage," he explained.