Guest Op-Ed: Public Participation Is Important In The Political Process
Every decade, following the US Census, legislative boundaries (“lines”) are adjusted to reflect changes in the population. Nationally, this involves congressional districts while statewide, it involves the Assembly and Senate districts.
For New York City, it will reshape the 51 City Council districts. This process, called “districting,” varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. The New York City Charter establishes a Districting Commission to carry out this important function, essential to the operation of our city’s government.
Over the next few months, the Districting Commission will undertake this important task. The charter provides the commission with criteria it should use in creating the district lines. Applying constitutional standard of “one person, one vote,” the districts must be of essentially equal population.