ALBANY -- Assemblywoman Addie Russell has voted for a bill approved by the Assembly Wednesday that would attempt to reform the way district lines are redrawn every 10 years after each census.

"Today, I helped pass legislation reforming the state's redistricting process," said Russell, a Democrat representing the 118th Assembly District, which includes all St. Lawrence County townships along the St. Lawrence River plus Canton, Potsdam and Macomb, and northern Jefferson County.

"If our legislation is signed into law, an independent redistricting commission will draw legislative lines going forward."

Russell said her district remains about the same as it has been, but with the addition of three towns, DePeyster and Rossie in St. Lawrence County and Hounsfield in Jefferson County.

The redistricting issue is frequently accompanied by accusations that the majorities in each body -- now the Democrats in the Assembly and Republicans in the Senate -- fashion the new districts to benefit their parties in what is called "gerrymandering."

Efforts have been made this year to reform the process, for instance by appointing members to an independent commission to do the redistricting job, but the results remain unclear.

The job might yet end up in the courts this year if jurists are not satisfied that the Senate and Assembly have met a neutral standard in drawing the districts.

"With this issue behind us, we can fully concentrate on the issues North Country working families are most concerned about: passing a fair, on-time, fiscally responsible budget that invests in education and provides an environment to help businesses create good-paying jobs," Russell said.