Candidates and campaigns are watching for New York’s new congressional district maps — to be unveiled after a vote Thursday — which could help decide control of the House in 2024.

On Monday, it was announced that the Independent Redistricting Commission, appointed to redraw New York’s congressional districts, would vote on the new maps Thursday and that they would be made public after the vote, scheduled for 2 p.m. 

The vote will come about two weeks ahead of the final deadline for new maps in the Empire State, February 28, which the Court of Appeals set late last year. It also comes shortly before the beginning of the signature-gathering period for House candidates running in 2024, February 27.

After Thursday, lawmakers and Governor Hochul will have just a couple of weeks to enact the maps before the early stages of the 2024 elections in New York get started.

The central questions in the redistricting process center on whether Republicans will vote on Thursday — they could choose to not attend the meeting, denying a quorum and grinding the process to a halt. Republicans could also sue over the new maps, which could result in a lengthy litigation battle.

If Republicans do not vote at the redistricting commission, the panel would be unable to perform its duty, as happened after the 2020 Census, and the state legislature, led by Democrats, would be responsible for drawing maps. 

The panel consists of 10 members, and at least four of them are chosen by Republicans in the state senate and assembly. Seven members of the panel must vote to approve maps before they are passed to the legislature.

If Republicans choose to attempt to litigate over the maps, the outcome and timeline depend on the specifics of the maps and the case, both of which are unknown at this juncture.

A former congressman who was involved with the GOP lawsuit against the district lines drawn after the 2020 census, John Faso, tells the Sun that a lawsuit is possible if Republicans feel like the maps are unfair.

“Everyone involved on the Republican side believes that the current maps should be continued,” Mr. Faso says. “Changing these maps in any significant way would bring about confusion for voters and candidates.”

Mr. Faso added that he thinks “there’s a decent possibility” of maps that are very similar to the current maps being approved by the commission, though no one will know for sure what the commission has in store until Thursday afternoon.