The New York State Legislature passed a sweeping constitutional amendment on June 3, 2026 (S.10637-A/A.11553) that would significantly restructure how the state draws congressional and state legislative district lines. The amendment passed both chambers on party-line votes, with Democrats in the majority supporting it and Republicans unanimously opposed. Introduced jointly on June 1 by the Senate Majority Leader and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, the amendment amends Sections 4 and 5-b of Article III of the New York State Constitution and adds a new Section 5-c. Among its most significant provisions it: explicitly permits mid-decade congressional redistricting; replaces the supermajority threshold for legislative map adoption with a simple majority; limits the state’s Independent Redistricting Commission to holding public hearings and submitting one set of maps to the legislature by January 15 of the second year of each decade; grants the legislature authority to draw remedial maps if a court invalidates a commission-drawn map; and removes the state constitution’s existing prohibition on drawing districts to favor a political party or incumbent.
Assembly Speaker Heastie defended the removal of the anti-gerrymandering language directly, saying the Supreme Court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais had “made redistricting more of a wide-open process, so for us here in New York, we want to have as much flexibility in drawing districts as other states will.” Experts cited by NOTUS project that the amendment, if ultimately enacted, could net Democrats two to four additional U.S. House seats in 2028.
Because New York’s constitution requires that proposed amendments pass two consecutive legislative sessions before going to voters, the June 4 vote is only the first of several required steps. The newly elected legislature, seated in January 2027, must pass the identical amendment a second time; if it does, the amendment will appear on the statewide ballot for voter approval in late 2027. If voters approve it, the earliest any new congressional map drawn under the amendment’s authority could take effect is the 2028 elections, meaning the amendment has no bearing on the 2026 midterms.
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