SEN. SCHNEIDERMAN & COALITION TO GO TO ALBANY; PRESENT BILL TO END PRISON-BASED GERRYMANDERING

ALBANY - A new coalition of community groups and advocates from across New York State will travel to Albany on Monday to advocate for new legislation to end the undemocratic system of prison-based gerrymandering. At a press conference in the Capitol at 3:30 tomorrow, the coalition will announce the new support from upstate legislators, including Sen. Neil Breslin and others.

Last week, the coalition kicked-off the campaign to end prison-based gerrymandering at a press conference in New York City, along with Senator Eric Schneiderman, Assemblyman Hakeem Jefferies (the lead sponsor of the Assembly bill), and Rev. Al Sharpton, who called this "the voter rights and the civil rights issue of this year in the state of New York."

The coalition supports legislation (to be introduced by Senator Schneiderman on Monday morning) that will count people in prison as residents of their home communities, rather than as residents of the districts in which they are incarcerated. The current system for counting people in prison drastically inflates populations in some communities, thereby violating the democratic principle of "one person, one vote."

WHO: Community groups and advocates, Senator Eric T. Schneiderman, Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, Senator Neil Breslin and other upstate legislators

WHEN: Monday, February 1, 2010 - 3:30pm

WHERE: Capitol, TBD