Buffalo, NY (WBEN) The summer primary election season across New York State remains in disarray following a series of legal decisions rejecting the gerrymandered congressional and state senate districts mapped by Democrats.
A federal judge's ruling Wednesday will allow New York State to move ahead with plans to move the state senate and congressional primaries to August. Other primaries are still scheduled for June 28th.
A special master has been appointed by the court to draw up districts across the state and the ramifications of the process run deep.
Congressman Brian Higgins says those charged with redistricting should take a look at his 26th congressional district. "You don't have an earmuff or an oddly drawn geographic line. You have something that's tight, very dense and very consistent," says Higgins. He says the ruling puts the state in a situation where there will be 2 separate primary days. "It's a mess," says Higgins. "You have a process that nobody can predict will transpire over the next few weeks.
The redrawing of district lines in Congress will depend on which districts have incumbents, says UB's Shawn Donahue. "I would really not anticipate Congressman Higgins' district changing much at all," explains Donahue. "Maybe you could see Niagara Falls swapped for scenarios in Erie County. So, he would be in pretty good shape. But as far as the other two districts, the one that Congressman Tom Reed is vacating, which is kind of southern Erie County in the southern tier, and then the district that Congressman Chris Jacobs is running is the one that is running from Youngstown to Fort Drum, those districts are clearly going to change." He says that will leave uncertainty in those districts.
Ken Kruly of Politicsandstuff.com says candidates will have to wait to see the special master's map. "We have some congressional districts that go east-west in Western New York, he could decide north-south. And so some district that now goes to Watertown wages go down to Jamestown. So who knows?" notes Kruly.
Kruly says for those campaigning for State Senate or Congress, the redistricting remains a mystery. "My understanding is that there's going to have to be a new petitioning process for the congressional candidates and state legislative candidates to get on the ballot in the new district. So they're gonna have to have a do over, not going to be too happy, they're gonna wind up spending money. But I think there may be it may be unavoidable," says Kruly. That's not all who will have to spend more money. Kruly estimates the Erie county board of elections will have to spend at least an extra $300,000 for a second primary day. and statewide it could cost $50 million. Kruly believes it should be the state's responsibility to foot the bill.
Kruly says the special master has until May 20th to come up with new district maps for State Senate and Congress.
