"The lawsuit, filed in state court, claims the district's current configuration - which includes all of Staten Island and parts of southern Brooklyn, including Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst and Fort Hamilton - fails to reflect the borough's changing demographics. The plaintiffs say the map denies communities of color the opportunity to "routinely and systematically influence elections," according to the suit. They also argue that the district lines violate the state's Voting Rights Act and "the state constitution's prohibition against racial vote dilution.""
""The racial demographics of Staten Island have changed significantly over the last several decades, but the 2024 Congressional Map does not reflect those changes," the plaintiffs said in their complaint. They said the borough's Black and Latino population has increased from 11% to 30% over the past 40 years. Malliotakis, a Republican first elected to Congress in 2020, currently represents District 11."
Voters from Staten Island and Brooklyn filed a lawsuit challenging the NY-11 congressional map, arguing current boundaries weaken Black and Latino political influence. The district includes all of Staten Island and parts of southern Brooklyn such as Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst and Fort Hamilton. Plaintiffs contend the map denies communities of color the chance to routinely and systematically influence elections and violates the state's Voting Rights Act and constitutional ban on racial vote dilution. Plaintiffs note Staten Island's Black and Latino share rose from 11% to 30% over 40 years and seek a redraw connecting the borough to lower Manhattan to create a minority-influence district. The change could reshape the congressional map and affect the city’s sole Republican-held seat, represented by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis.
Read at Brooklyn Paper
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