For Immediate Release: June 3, 2011

Contact: Austin Shafran | austinshafran@gmail.com | 917-417-3711

Senate and Assembly Democrats to Hold Interactive

Redistricting Reform Forum
Use social media to engage in real-time public conversation regarding
Governor Cuomo’s independent redistricting legislation to change Albany

*12:30 PM Tuesday, June 7th, Hearing Room B in the LOB*

(Albany, NY) Answering the public’s call for immediate action on redistricting reform, Senator
Martin Dilan, Ranking Democrat on LATFOR*, Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries and Senator
Michael Gianaris, joined by Senate and Assembly Democrats will lead an interactive public
forum on redistricting reform to change Albany.

Despite overwhelming public support, Senate Republicans have refused to allow an open public
hearing on a key component in Governor Andrew Cuomo’s agenda to clean up Albany -- the
Redistricting Reform Act of 2011.

To break the Albany logjam, Senate and Assembly Democrats will convene their own interactive
redistricting forum broadcast live over the Internet via Twitter, LiveStream and Facebook to
engage the public, good government groups, and academic experts in an unprecedented effort to
reform Albany.

To encourage real-time online participation through new media and social networking tools,
Senate and Assembly Democrats will:
• Stream video and audio in real time which can be viewed on their LiveStream channel;
• Broadcast live updates on Facebook, LiveStream Chat and Twitter, and live
photostreaming to TwitPic; and
• Accept real time questions from the public to be used by Senators during the forum via
@NYSenDems and the hashtags #NYRedistricting and #NYSenate.

In addition to the interactive forum, Senate Democrats launched a website and online petition
drive dedicated to their efforts to change Albany through redistricting reform.
*The Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment (LATFOR) was established by
Chapter 45 of the New York State Laws of 1978 to research and study the techniques and methodologies to be used
by the U.S. Commerce Departments' bureau of the Census in carrying out the decennial federal census.

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WHO:
Senator Martin Dilan (co-host)
Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries (co-host)
Senator Michael Gianaris (co-host)
Senate Democratic Leader John L. Sampson
Senator Daniel Squadron
Members of the Senate Democratic Conference
Members of the Assembly Democratic Conference

ATTENDEES:
Citizens Union
Common Cause NY
League of Women Voters of New York
NYPIRG
Andrew Beveridge, Ph.D, CUNY
Local Government Officials

WHEN: Tuesday, June 7th 12:30 PM

WHERE: Hearing Room B in the LOB

To watch the forum live online, please visit http://www.livestream.com/NYSenDems.

Follow on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/NYSenDems

New York State Senate | MinorityConference.News@nysenate.gov | 518-455-2415

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