Date: Feb 23, 2011

NYS Redistricting Forum

Hofstra, League of Women Voters sponsor panel on legislative redistricting

Hofstra University, Hempstead, N.Y. – Hofstra University and the League of Women Voters of Nassau County are co-sponsoring a panel discussion on March 3, 2011 about the upcoming legislative redistricting process and whether the task should remain in state lawmakers’ hands or be turned over to an independent panel.

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The panel, “Drawing the Line: Legislative Redistricting in New York State”, will be held from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the Leo A. Guthart Cultural Center Theater, Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library, First Floor, South Campus. Admission is free and open to the public, but prior registration is suggested. To register, go to www.hofstra.edu/redistrict or call 516-463-5616.

District lines for state and congressional seats are redrawn every ten years based on new Census data. Under the current system, state lawmakers draw the lines. Reform advocates have argued that district lines should be mapped by a non-partisan panel. Gov. Andrew Cuomo this week proposed legislation to create an independent redistricting commission that would redraw district lines and submit its plan for state legislative approval. The new districts would be in place for the 2012 election.

The March 3 panel discussion will provide historical background on the redistricting process, and bring together supporters of the current system and those who advocate reforming it for a lively debate about one of the most controversial issues facing state legislators this year.

The discussion will be moderated by Rosanna Perotti, associate professor and chair of the political science department at Hofstra. The panelists include: Barbara Bartoletti, legislative director, League of Women Voters of New York State; Keesha Gaskins, senior counsel, Democracy Program, Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law;  Eric Lane, Eric J. Schmertz Distinguished Professor of Public Law and Public Service, Hofstra University School of Law; and Edward Lurie, consultant and former director, New York Republican State Committee and New York Senate Republican Committee.

Hofstra University is a dynamic private institution where students can choose from about 140 undergraduate and more than 150 graduate programs in liberal arts and sciences, business; engineering; communication; education, health and human services; and honors studies, as well as a School of Law and the Hofstra-North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine.

The League of Women Voters is a non-profit, nonpartisan organization that encourages informed and active participation of citizens in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy. Men and women are welcome as members.