Issue: Political Party Affiliation What party has the majority position in the State Legislature and in the Congress? The political party which has the most representatives to the legislature is the majority party. After redistricting, the majority party can change in the next election if enough districts are drawn to favor one party over another. Redistricting can change the political landscape by changing what political party is likely to win the seats in new districts. NYS Political Parties in the 107th Congress' 31 Districts Source: Dept. of Interior, National Atlas of the United States MapMaker. New York State Political Parties Before 2001 Redistricting 31 NY State Congressional Districts Republican Districts = 12 Democratic Districts = 19 Independent or Third Party Districts = 0 Why is it important what political party has more districts?: The majority party controls the committees and procedures in Congress and the state legislature. Redistricting provides an opportunity to draw districts so that one party may be more likely to be elected. Drawing districts to favor one group is called gerrymandering. If the favored group is a political party then it is political gerrymandering. The term was coined in 1812 when Governor Gerry of Massachusetts drew a strange looking district that resembled a salamander to favor a his political party. Hence, the term gerrymander is used for drawing odd shaped districts to favor a designated group. Questions for The NYS Task Force Responsible for Redistricting Plans: How many Democratic vs. Republican districts will there be after redistricting from 31 down to 29 districts for the 108th Congress? In the election following redistricting are the newly drawn districts likely to be controlled by Democrats, Republicans, or Independents? Will the newly formed districts be more likely to vote for the incumbent or select someone new? < Previous Issue Next Issue > Site Map | Discussion Board | NYcitizens.org | Contact | Interactive Maps | Home | Best if viewed in Netscape 4.75 / Internet Explorer 4.01 or later browser version. ©2002 WXXI Public Broadcasting Council