Hi John,

It’s Josh Riley, Democrat for Congress in our new 19th Congressional District.

So far, in our new district, I’ve been getting asked one question over and over again: “what is going on here?!?!”

A lot of voters are confused about where their district is, who their candidates are, and when elections are taking place–and for good reason.

It’s unfortunate that we’re in this position, but I hope this email helps explain the situation.

And before I get into it, I do have to ask, if you’re able to pitch in $5 to our campaign, it will help us educate more voters on the upcoming elections and turn out the vote!

Step One: How did we get here?

Every ten years, we go through a process where Congressional districts are redrawn based on the latest Census results. It’s called redistricting, and every state has their own process for it. In New York, a 2014 constitutional amendment created an “Independent Redistricting Commission” (IRC) that was responsible for recommending a map to the State Legislature, not based on politics, but on fair map drawing.

However, the IRC was unable to propose a map to the Legislature because of a political stalemate between Democratic and Republican representatives on the commission. That forced the State Legislature to draw the map.

The Legislature’s map was challenged in court, and it was struck down by New York’s highest court.

At that point, the judge handling the case assigned a Special Master to draw a new and fair map for New York State’s Congressional and State Senate districts.

Those lines are now set in stone, and we now have eight competitive congressional districts across the state (including ours!).

Step Two: So where’s my district?

If you live in Broome, Tioga, Tompkins, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Otsego (partial), Greene, Columbia, Ulster (partial), or Sullivan counties….good news! You’re a voter in the new 19th District, where I’m running to represent you!

This new district is one that President Biden won very narrowly and comes down to a 50-50 matchup. It’s going to be a tossup, and we need all-hands-on-deck to win it.

And if you live in Herkimer, Oswego, Oneida, Madison, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, Schuyler, or Ontario counties, I’m grateful to have had the chance to meet so many of you this year in the previous two iterations of our district, hear what issues are important to you, and earn your support. I’m so thankful for the opportunity to have worked with you, and I want you to know I’ll never forget all you did for this campaign.

John, you can help us build our campaign for the new 19th District (a must-win for Democrats if we’re going to hold the House) by pitching in $5 here today!

Step Three: So when is the election?

If you thought it couldn’t get more confusing, you were wrong.

As of now, primary elections for State Assembly and Statewide elections (Governor, Lieutenant Governor, etc.) are still taking place on June 28th.

BUT, primary elections for State Senate and Congress are going to take place on August 23rd.

Now, to make matters even more confusing, there are “special elections” for congressional seats in Upstate New York (likely to take place in August), to fill vacant congressional seats in the 19th and 23rd districts.

John, I am running in an August 23 election to be the Democratic and Working Families Party nominee in NY-19 and then in a November 8th election to be the new Representative for NY-19. (I’m not running in the June 28 election or in the “special elections.”)

Step Four: This is a mess. How can I help?

Yes, this election is confusing. It’s messy, and we’re going to need to educate ALL of our neighbors on when to, how-to, and why they should make their voice heard this year by voting.

So I’ll ask one more time: if you can pitch in $5, $10, or whatever you can spare, it will go a long way to help us educate voters at their doorsteps, online, and through the mail. Think of it this way: $1 allows us to talk to and educate one more voter. Pitch in what you can here >>

As we go through this unusual journey together, John, I’m humbled and honored to have you on the team.

With gratitude & high hopes,

Josh Riley