This week- New Congressional Map Challenge Briefing Schedule; Huntington Town Race Investigated, Let N.Y. Vote’s 2026 Priorities, Around the Nation: Utah
REDISTRICTING LITIGATION
Congressional Redistricting: Williams et. al v. State Board of Elections et. al- What Happens Next
New York County State Supreme Court Justice Jeffrey Pearlman issued an order formalizing the court briefing schedule in the challenge to New York’s 11th congressional district last week. To summarize the judge’s order:
Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis and individual voters in the 11th congressional district were permitted to intervene, opening the door to the Congresswoman and her supporters to oppose the complaint);
December 8- The state defendants were directed to file their opposition briefs and expert reports with the court no later than December 8th. This includes any motion to dismiss the case. The defendants include the State Board of Elections members and co-executive directors, Governor Kathy Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, and Attorney General Letitia James.
The State Board co-executive directors include Kristen Zebrowski and Raymond J. Riley III. The two Democrats on the board include co-chair Henry T. Berger and member Essma Bagnuola. Republican commissioners include co-chair Peter S. Kosinski and member Anthony J. Casale.
December 18- the plaintiffs have until December 18 to file their replies in support of their effort to invalidate and redraw the 11th district as well as any motions by the plaintiffs and intervenors directed to the petition.
December 23- the state defendants and intervenors who file motions directed to the plaintiffs must file their replies in support of their motions;
January 6 and 7, 2026- the court will hold a hearing on the challenge.
ELECTIONS
Suffolk: Huntington Town Race Investigated
Newsday has been reporting on a situation in Suffolk County’s Town of Huntington where “A Huntington Manor fire commissioner and longtime town employee collected petition signatures for Maria Delgado, the Working Families Party candidate for Huntington supervisor.”
In a series of articles, Newsday has described how “(t)he Huntington supervisor’s race was among the closest on Long Island: Ed Smyth, the Republican incumbent, defeated Democrat Cooper Macco by 602 votes, according to unofficial returns from the Suffolk County Board of Elections. Delgado received 1,195 votes in the Nov. 4 election — about 3% of the total. The margin was narrow enough to have swung the election to Smyth.
Further, the paper reports “Delgado, 83, of Huntington Station, told Newsday on Nov. 7 that she had “no idea” she was on the ballot days earlier. Records from the Suffolk County Board of Elections, provided to Newsday earlier this week, show Delgado voted in person in the June primary and again on Election Day. There is no trace of a public campaign: State campaign finance records show no fundraising accounts in her name. She has no website.”
The state Attorney General’s office is investigating.
UPCOMING EVENTS
There are no upcoming events.
VOTING RIGHTS ACT
N.Y. Attorney General’s Office Preclearance
There was no preclearance activity in the past week.
All submissions can be viewed at: https://nyvra-portal.ag.ny.gov/
ELECTION LEGISLATON
The nonpartisan Let NY Vote Coalition (LNYV) of good government, civil rights, and grassroots civic engagement groups (LNYV) recently determined their 2026 legislative priorities, focused on modernizing and improving voter access and election integrity.
After a challenging 2025 legislative session dominated by a five-weeks delayed budget agreement and a climate of adversity from the Administration in Washington, LNYV has narrowed and sharpened it’s focus on the following priority proposals:
Democracy During Detention Act (DDDA) (S440 / A2121): Codifies the right to vote for citizens detained pretrial or for lesser offenses in correctional facilities who have not lost the right to vote, and requires local elections and corrections officials to develop a plan to facilitate timely access to effective and secure voter registration and balloting.
Deter frivolous voter challenges and purges (S3233 / A6354): Protects voters from illegal purges and requires vigilante vote “challengers” at the polls to sign an affidavit identifying the challenger, the basis, and the provenance of info underlying the challenge.
Move Local Elections to Even Years (S5851 / A7369): This amendment to the NYS constitution moves city, judicial, and other local elections to even years, building upon a 2023 LNYV-backed law recently upheld by the NYS Court of Appeals that moved county and town elections to even years.
Same Day Voter Registration (S5751 / A2162): Amendment to the NYS Constitution would remove a ten-day voter registration barrier, improving access and reducing suppression.
Student Voter Empowerment Act (S2056 / A3954A): Sets a baseline that expands civic engagement programming, events, and outreach at the state’s colleges and universities.
Time Extender for Poll Site Disruptions (S4602A / A5846A): Protects communities from major disruptions by extending the time for voting at impacted sites to account for time lost, without elusive litigation; improves resiliency, accountability, rapid-response communication.
Voting Integrity and Verification Act (VIVA) (S7116 / A6287): Requires that voters have the option to hand mark a paper ballot or use a non-tabulating ballot marking device, and verify their selections. While State lawmakers don’t return to Albany until January, planning for the session is already underway, and the 2026 election cycle will soon come into focus, framing many of these democracy reform proposals through a tense lens of national political polarization and urgency.
AROUND THE NATION
Utah: In, 2022, plaintiffs challenged Utah’s congressional map as an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander, arguing it diluted non-Republican votes by splitting Salt Lake County. Plaintiffs also challenged the legislature’s repeal of voter-approved redistricting reforms.
In October 2022, a Utah trial court initially let the gerrymandering claims proceed but dismissed the challenge to the legislature’s repeal. The Utah Supreme Court reversed that dismissal, ruling that the lower court must assess whether the legislature violated voters’ fundamental right to reform their government.
In August 2025, the trial court held that the legislature had infringed on voters’ fundamental rights and struck down the congressional map.
Las week, the court rejected the legislature’s proposed remedial map and instead adopted the plaintiffs’ alternative map.
The Utah trial court has selected a new congressional plan for the 2026 cycle, rejecting the Legislature’s October “Map C” and adopting the map offered by plaintiffs; the League of Women Voters of Utah and Mormon Women for Ethical Government.” In a 90-page ruling issued just before the court’s November 10 deadline, Third District Judge Dianna M. Gibson found Map C to be an “extreme partisan outlier” drawn to favor Republicans and held that it failed to comply with the neutral criteria required by Utah’s voter-approved Proposition 4. Judge Gibson ordered Plaintiffs’ Map 1 (see below) to take effect in 2026. The map keeps most of Salt Lake County together and creates one Democratic-leaning district in an otherwise Republican-tilting map.
The aftermath of the decision was swift. Republican officials signaled they will appeal, and Gov. Spencer Cox said he supports an appeal of the ruling, while the Legislature and its allies criticized the decision as judicial overreach. The ruling has sparked talk among some Republicans of impeaching Judge Gibson, with lawmakers openly exploring that option. At the same time, the new map is reshaping 2026 politics: Democratic state senator Kathleen Riebe announced a U.S. House bid the day after the ruling, and former Rep. Ben McAdams jumped in soon after, reflecting how the decision could open a path to the one Democratic-leaning seat.
INSTITUTE RESOURCES
The New York Elections, Census and Redistricting Institute has archived many resources for the public to view on our Digital Commons Page.
Our Redistricting Resources page contains resources on the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act. You can access the page here: https://digitalcommons.nyls.edu/redistricting_resources/
Archived Updates can be accessed here: https://digitalcommons.nyls.edu/redistricting_roundtable_updates/
Please share this weekly update with your colleagues. To be added to the mailing list, please contact Jeffrey.wice@nyls.edu.
The N.Y. Elections, Census & Redistricting Institute is supported by grants from the New York Community Trust, New York Census Equity Fund, the Mellon Foundation, and the New York City Council. This report was prepared by Jeff Wice, Esha Shah, Jarret Berg, and Michelle Davis (of Redistricting Online).