EAST MEADOW, N.Y. – A New York county has agreed to redraw its voting map after a lawsuit claimed its political boundaries disenfranchised residents of coloration.
Nassau County reached a settlement Thursday wherein the suburban area, situated simply east of New York Metropolis borough of Queens, would create six voting districts wherein Black, Latino and Asian residents represent a majority of eligible voters.
The county’s Republican-controlled legislature accredited a voting map in 2023 wherein residents of coloration constituted a majority of eligible voters in simply 4 of the county’s 19 districts.
However the New York Civil Liberties Union and different teams sued in state court docket, arguing the map diluted the electoral energy of residents of coloration, who make up greater than one-third of eligible voters.
They stated the political map, based mostly off the 2020 census, break up minority communities or mixed them with others that have been starkly totally different.
That, the teams argued, has prevented the election of officers extra consultant of the county’s variety. Whites make up about 56% of the county’s almost 1.4 million folks, however they comprise almost 80% of its governing physique.
“This map is a giant step in the direction of equality and equity in our group’s democracy,” Lisa Ortiz, a plaintiff within the case, stated in assertion Thursday. “After years of getting our votes and voices diluted and ignored, we lastly have an equal voice on the polls.”
The brand new voting map will take impact for legislative elections this coming November and stay in impact after the 2030 census, when maps will likely be redrawn to replicate up to date census counts, the New York Civil Liberties Union and different teams stated.
The native Republican Get together stated it stays dedicated to “honest and aggressive” districts and is assured it’ll retain its majority within the legislature.
“Republican successes on the polls illustrate the truth that our agenda is reflective of the priorities of the individuals who name Nassau house,” Nassau County Republican Committee Chairman Joseph Cairo stated in a press release Thursday.
The lawsuit in opposition to Nassau County was amongst a minimum of 4 filed below the state’s Voting Rights Act, which was enacted in 2022 in response to a wave of voting restrictions handed in lots of Republican-led states following the 2020 election.
Copyright 2025 The Related Press. All rights reserved. This materials will not be printed, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed with out permission.
