Inmates’ Stock Is Rising in Albany District Fight

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ALBANY — As state lawmakers prepare to redraw the boundaries of Congressional and state legislative districts, one segment of the population is quickly becoming a coveted constituency: prisoners.

They do not carry any endorsement influence, promise big-dollar political contributions or even vote (they are barred by law from doing so). But with the balance of power in the State Senate tipping on a single vote, Republicans and Democrats are already squabbling over the home addresses of New York’s 58,378 inmates as they anticipate how the 2010 census will reshape the electoral map.

With New York expected to lose at least one seat in Congress because of population shifts nationwide, and Republicans facing the prospect of being further relegated to the minority if they do not pick up seats in the Senate, the fight promises to be especially fierce.

On Thursday, Democrats announced plans to seek a change that would help them lay claim to a large slice of the prison population, a move that would help them add to their ranks.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/29/nyregion/29inmates.html?ref=todayspaper