The MMD was created as a vital component of the Albany County Redistricting Commission's work and efforts and shall make recommendations to the Commission regarding the configuration of minority districts, with the goal of protecting voting rights of minority residents and ensuring electoral representation of minority residents residing in majority minority districts.

The unique focus of the MMD shall be to ensure the representation of Albany County minority communities in all aspects of the redistricting process.

A majority minority district is a district in which a racial minority group or groups comprise a majority of the district's total population.

Under the Voting Rights Act majority minority districts can be created to prevent the dilution of the voting strength of minorities.

The intent of the work of the MMD Subcommittee shall be to work collaboratively and in tandem with the Redistricting Commission to:

• Fully examine the issues unique to the MMD communities and their residents, which shall be presented for inclusion into the final report of the Commission.
• To ensure that the voting interests of minority residents and voters are adequately and appropriately incorporated into a redistricting proposal.
• Ensure electoral representation of minority residents residing in majority minority communities

The MMD Subcommittee shall consist of seven (7) members who are representative of the minority communities. MMD Subcommittee Members shall be County residents, registered voters in New York State, but shall not have been in the last four years preceding the creation of the MMD Subcommittee:

• A publicly elected official, which shall mean any individual elected to local, county, state or federal office, excluding school board members and library trustees, but including
  those elected as members of political parties;
• A state employee who serves as a political appointee or legislative employee;
• A political party chairperson or officer.

Appointments to the MMD Subcommittee may be made in the year of the census, after extensive, repeated solicitation by the Albany County Legislature of potential appointees that are knowledgeable, capable, interested and experienced in the redistricting field.

The Albany County Legislature shall use all communication means necessary to educate the public on the Commission and MMD Subcommittee process and the need for appointees.

1. After a County-wide solicitation of potential appointees, the Chai r of the LBC shall make advisory recommendations to the Chair and Members of the Commission regarding qualified candidates to serve on the MMD Subcommittee. The Commission Members, by a majority vote, appoint three (3) representatives who shall serve on the MMD Subcommittee.
2. Subsequently, those Members, after examining the recommendations of the Chair of the LBC, shall select the remaining members of the MMD Subcommittee, by a majority vote.
3. The MMD Subcommittee shall select its own leadership by voting on a Chairperson at its first meeting.

The MMD will work collaboratively, in tandem and with a high level of interaction with the Redistricting Commission.

The MMD will hold its own hearings and public forums to collect and consider the inputs from impacted communities, as well as the county communities at large.

The work of the MMD will be based on public input and supported by legal counsel, mapping expertise and staff and other resources that may be deemed necessary by the MMD to effectively solicit and obtain public input and to advance its redistricting work.

The MMD Subcommittee will implement a public engagement and out reach plan to ensure community awareness and understanding of redistricting and the work underway.

The MMD subcommittee will broadly disseminate informational materials, meet with community stakeholders and groups and will hold several public meetings and hearings to provide opportunity for public input. The public is also be invited to submit comments and/or other input to the MMD Subcommittee electronically via email to mmdredistricting@albanycountyny.gov.

The MMD will make available to the public, on the Albany County website and through electronic media efforts, any draft redistricting plans and concepts, relevant data, and related information in a form that allows and facilitates their use by the public to review, analyze, and comment upon such plans.

The MMD staff and consultant(s) hired under the RFP shall comply with the requirements of 52 U.S.C. 1001 (Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965) and in all subsequent relevant statutes and case law.

The Commission and the MMD Subcommittee shall be guided by the principle of “One Person, One Vote” and the goal of equal and fair representation for all people in Albany County, consistent with established state and federal law as interpreted by courts of appropriate jurisdiction. Criteria that shall guide our redistricting work include:

• District populations shall be equal in population without more than a 5% (+/- 2.5%) deviation;
• Districts lines shall not be drawn with the intent or result of denying or abridging the equal opportunity of racial or language minority groups to participate in the political process and to elect representatives of their choosing;
• Districts shall be contiguous;
• Districts shall be compact;
• Districts shall not be drawn to favor or disfavor incumbents, political parties or candidates;
• Existing district cores of political subdivisions including cities, villages, towns and of communities of interest shall be considered and when practicable no villages, cities or towns, except those having more than 40% of a full ratio for each district shall be divided. Districts shall be consistent with existing municipal and rural boundaries, and neighborhoods within Albany County; and balance and reasonableness for the diversity of citizens residing in all parts of the County;
• Party registration and the places of residences of incumbents or candidates shall not be identified or considered when drawing district lines; and
• Districts shall be formed to promote orderly and efficient elections.

The MMD shall be discharged upon the successful conclusion of the Albany County redistricting process.

One of the greatest powers that the people have is the right to elect their own representatives to conduct the business of their government.

How the district boundaries are configured can make the difference between empowering and maximizing the voters’ voices or minimizing and muting those voices.

The Redistricting Commission and the Majority Minority District Redistricting Subcommittee is committed to drawing fair districts that reflect the best interests of the people not the incumbent political parties.

The Commission is established to make recommendations to the County Legislature on whether and how the County Legislature should be redistricted when required. 

Triggering events include but may not be limited to: 

• Upon publication of the results of the federal decennial census for Albany County,
• Upon publication of census tracts and block statistics based upon any federal or special population census taken pursuant to Section 20 of General Municipal Law, and held not more than once every five (5) years
• Any annexation which has the effect of increasing or decreasing the population of any legislative district by more than 10 percent. 

The Commission will consist of nine (9) members who are County residents, registered voters in New York State, but shall not have been in the last four years immediately preceding the creation of the Commission. 

The Commission Members shall be selected to reflect the diversity of the residents of this county with regard to race, ethnicity, gender, language, and geographic residence (including representative of rural/small communities)

When the applications became available, interested parties submitted their applications online.

Applicants who affirmed in their applications that they met all of the qualifications in the Act for serving on the Commission, and did not have a “conflict of interest” were invited to submit a supplemental application containing additional information about their qualifications.

During the preparation of the redistricting plan, the Commission working closely and in collaboration with the MMD Subcommittee shall conduct not less than four (4) public hearings throughout the County.

The MMD Subcommittee shall be empowered to hold its own public hearings for additional community input. These public hearings shall be publicized widely, with ample notice to ensure the maximum level of citizen participation and engagement.

The purpose of the public hearing process is to promote a high level of understanding of the process and its implications to the public, to provide expert presentations and access to Commission and MMD leaders, staff and consultants, allow for ample public comment, and to communicate the process of the redistricting process to the public. All public hearings should be publicized and information about the meetings should be widely disseminated.

The Albany County website shall be the venue for the collection of all information regarding the work of the Commission and MMD Subcommittee.

Reapportionment is the permanent process by which seats in the US House of Representatives are redistributed among the 50 states according to each census. Redistricting is the process of drawing district lines which means changing the boundaries every ten years following the census.

Yes, the Commission shall submit its final report in the form of a proposed local law to the Clerk of the County Legislature within thirty (30) days after the final report is completed for distribution to the members of the Legislature.

This report, and any and all subsequent changes to it, will be part of the official public records of the Commission’s work and available on the designated webpage of the Albany County website

The Voters First Act is very clear that NO communication between legislators and Commissioners regarding redistricting issues can occur.

Any comment from legislators must take place in a public Commission meeting–just like any other citizen.

The Commission, the MMD Redistricting Subcommittee, staff and the consultant(s) hired under the RFP shall comply with the requirements of 52 U.S.C. 1001 (Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965) and in all subsequent relevant statutes and case law.

The Commission and the MMD Subcommittee shall be guided by the goal of equal and fair representation of all people in Albany County, consistent with established state and federal law as interpreted by courts of appropriate jurisdiction. Factors to consider include, but shall not be limited to:

• Whether such lines would result in the denial or abridgement of racial or language minority voting rights, and districts shall not be drawn to have the purpose of, nor shall they result in, the denial or abridgement of such rights. Districts shall be drawn so that, based on the totality of the circumstances, racial or minority language groups do not have less opportunity to participate in the political process than other members of the electorate and to elect representatives of their choice;
• Shall minimize population variance, to the extent practicable, among districts in accordance with federal law, but in no instance shall a district’s population exceed 105% or be less than 95% of the ideal district size;
• Each district shall consist of contiguous territory;
• Each district shall be as compact in form as practicable;
• Districts shall be consistent with existing municipal and rural boundaries, and neighborhoods within Albany County; and balance and reasonableness for the diversity of citizens residing in all parts of the County;
• The places of residences of incumbents or candidates shall not be
• Party registration shall be excluded from all phases of the mapping process but may be used to test maps for compliance with.

The MMD was created as a vital component of the Albany County Redistricting Commission's work and efforts and shall make recommendations to the Commission regarding the configuration of minority districts, with the goal of protecting voting rights of minority residents and ensuring electoral representation of minority residents residing in majority minority districts.

The unique focus of the MMD shall be to ensure the representation of Albany County minority communities in all aspects of the redistricting process.

A majority minority district is a district in which a racial minority group or groups comprise a majority of the district's total population.

Under the Voting Rights Act majority minority districts can be created to prevent the dilution of the voting strength of minorities.

The intent of the work of the MMD Subcommittee shall be to work collaboratively and in tandem with the Redistricting Commission to:

• Fully examine the issues unique to the MMD communities and their residents, which shall be presented for inclusion into the final report of the Commission.
• To ensure that the voting interests of minority residents and voters are adequately and appropriately incorporated into a redistricting proposal.
• Ensure electoral representation of minority residents residing in majority minority communities

The MMD Subcommittee shall consist of seven (7) members who are representative of the minority communities. MMD Subcommittee Members shall be County residents, registered voters in New York State, but shall not have been in the last four years preceding the creation of the MMD Subcommittee:

• A publicly elected official, which shall mean any individual elected to local, county, state or federal office, excluding school board members and library trustees, but including
  those elected as members of political parties;
• A state employee who serves as a political appointee or legislative employee;
• A political party chairperson or officer.

Appointments to the MMD Subcommittee may be made in the year of the census, after extensive, repeated solicitation by the Albany County Legislature of potential appointees that are knowledgeable, capable, interested and experienced in the redistricting field.

The Albany County Legislature shall use all communication means necessary to educate the public on the Commission and MMD Subcommittee process and the need for appointees.

1. After a County-wide solicitation of potential appointees, the Chai r of the LBC shall make advisory recommendations to the Chair and Members of the Commission regarding qualified candidates to serve on the MMD Subcommittee. The Commission Members, by a majority vote, appoint three (3) representatives who shall serve on the MMD Subcommittee.
2. Subsequently, those Members, after examining the recommendations of the Chair of the LBC, shall select the remaining members of the MMD Subcommittee, by a majority vote.
3. The MMD Subcommittee shall select its own leadership by voting on a Chairperson at its first meeting.

The MMD will work collaboratively, in tandem and with a high level of interaction with the Redistricting Commission.

The MMD will hold its own hearings and public forums to collect and consider the inputs from impacted communities, as well as the county communities at large.

The work of the MMD will be based on public input and supported by legal counsel, mapping expertise and staff and other resources that may be deemed necessary by the MMD to effectively solicit and obtain public input and to advance its redistricting work.

The MMD Subcommittee will implement a public engagement and out reach plan to ensure community awareness and understanding of redistricting and the work underway.

The MMD subcommittee will broadly disseminate informational materials, meet with community stakeholders and groups and will hold several public meetings and hearings to provide opportunity for public input. The public is also be invited to submit comments and/or other input to the MMD Subcommittee electronically via email to mmdredistricting@albanycountyny.gov.

The MMD will make available to the public, on the Albany County website and through electronic media efforts, any draft redistricting plans and concepts, relevant data, and related information in a form that allows and facilitates their use by the public to review, analyze, and comment upon such plans.

The MMD staff and consultant(s) hired under the RFP shall comply with the requirements of 52 U.S.C. 1001 (Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965) and in all subsequent relevant statutes and case law.

The Commission and the MMD Subcommittee shall be guided by the principle of “One Person, One Vote” and the goal of equal and fair representation for all people in Albany County, consistent with established state and federal law as interpreted by courts of appropriate jurisdiction. Criteria that shall guide our redistricting work include:

• District populations shall be equal in population without more than a 5% (+/- 2.5%) deviation;
• Districts lines shall not be drawn with the intent or result of denying or abridging the equal opportunity of racial or language minority groups to participate in the political process and to elect representatives of their choosing;
• Districts shall be contiguous;
• Districts shall be compact;
• Districts shall not be drawn to favor or disfavor incumbents, political parties or candidates;
• Existing district cores of political subdivisions including cities, villages, towns and of communities of interest shall be considered and when practicable no villages, cities or towns, except those having more than 40% of a full ratio for each district shall be divided. Districts shall be consistent with existing municipal and rural boundaries, and neighborhoods within Albany County; and balance and reasonableness for the diversity of citizens residing in all parts of the County;
• Party registration and the places of residences of incumbents or candidates shall not be identified or considered when drawing district lines; and
• Districts shall be formed to promote orderly and efficient elections.

The MMD shall be discharged upon the successful conclusion of the Albany County redistricting process.