The proposed district lines for the New York State Senate issued by the Legislative Task Force on Redistricting show systematic disparities in population size between upstate and downstate areas. Districts in New York City have more people than districts upstate, effectively diminishing the voting power of city residents. This regional discrepancy is crucial to Republicans' efforts to preserve their narrow control of the Senate. Under federal law, districts are allowed to be no more than 5 percent smaller or larger or smaller than the average. Read Article.