PATERSON, New Jersey (AP) -- When Pepe Mercado's father opened a
                  luncheonette 31 years ago, he offered a taste of home for fellow Puerto Ricans
                  who were streaming into a city of Italians, Irish and blacks.

                  Now, for the first time, Hispanics from many countries outnumber all other
                  groups in this one-time industrial center: U.S. Census 2000 numbers show
                  Hispanics make up 50.1 percent of the city's 149,922 residents.

                  Mercado's son, looking past plates of spicy chopped liver and stewed pig ears,
                  thinks government ought to catch up and reflect the faces at the diner's counter.
                  "It's our time," he says.

                  The same cry is being heard throughout the nation as political maps everywhere
                  must be redrawn in the once-in-a-decade process of redistricting.

                  Explosive population growth has given Hispanics, Asians and other ethnic groups
                  a shot at a political voice -- a new Asian congressman for California, perhaps, or
                  the first Hispanic state senator in New Jersey.

                  At the local government level, there's a chance for Indians, Palestinians,
                  Vietnamese and other groups to elect representatives. But for several reasons --
                  party politics, court decisions and conflicts between minorities among them -- it
                  won't be easy.

                  Redistricting follows the release of Census numbers. Maps must be redrawn so
                  political districts are equal in size at each level of government.

                  New Jersey and Virginia, which have state legislative elections this autumn, are
                  redistricting first. The other states, with elections in 2002, won't need to finish
                  redistricting for months.

                  Party politics always plays a major role in redistricting, and in Virginia the
                  Republicans are in control. The Republican-controlled legislature decides on the
                  maps and the governor, Republican Jim Gilmore, must agree.

                  Hispanics do not figure to gain much, if anything, there. Gilmore has reached out
                  to Hispanics in northern Virginia, though their numbers are still too small to
                  ensure a Hispanic representative. Blacks are struggling to maintain the gains
                  they've achieved in the past.

                  New Jersey, like a handful of other states, has tried to reduce political infighting
                  by putting redistricting in the hands of a 10-member commission -- half
                  appointed by Democrats, half by Republicans.

                  It hasn't helped. The commission deadlocked, and with a decision due Monday, a
                  judge has appointed a political science professor as a tiebreaker.

                  Hispanics in New Jersey want representation equal to their 13 percent statewide
                  population. That would mean 10 Hispanics in the state Assembly (there are now
                  five), and five senators (none currently).

                  With the commission working behind closed doors, it's hard to say whether their
                  goal will be achieved. But it won't be for lack of trying. Late last month, Hispanic
                  lawmakers presented a proposed map of their own for commissioners to
                  consider.

                  "Power is never voluntarily given up, you're never invited to get a seat at the
                  table," said New Jersey Assemblyman Wilfredo Caraballo, a Democrat. "You
                  have to almost take the seat yourself."

                  Minorities' arguments can be lost in the bigger battle that shadows all
                  redistricting efforts: Politics. Each party hopes to gain the advantage for the
                  coming decade.

                  Democrats have promised to spend $13 million on redistricting this time around;
                  Republicans are more circumspect. Analysts say the stakes could be a 10-seat
                  swing in the U.S. House.

                  "This is up close and personal," said Tom Hofeller, a redistricting expert for the
                  Republican National Committee. "It's a very, very political activity."

                  And the rules for redistricting are changing along with the nation's cultural mix.

                  The 1965 Voting Rights Act and subsequent court decisions gave tools to
                  minority groups seeking equal representation, bringing sweeping changes,
                  particularly for blacks in the South. But recent decisions from the U.S. Supreme
                  Court seem to have diminished the importance of race in redistricting.

                  Now, race and ethnicity are considered as just one factor. The geography of a
                  community, its interests, its history all must be weighed, redistricting experts
                  say.

                  The new approach, however, has yet to be tested, says Laughlin McDonald, a
                  voting rights expert with the American Civil Liberties Union in Atlanta. "Nobody
                  knows what the rules are, they're very conflicting."

                  Those conflicts may well end up in court, McDonald and others said.

                  And there are more potential conflicts on the ground, as minority groups wind up
                  elbow-to-elbow. Many predict battles, especially in urban areas where, in the
                  past few decades, blacks have struggled for representation.

                  "You're going to see Hispanic politicians make the same demands of black
                  politicians as blacks made of whites," said Paula McClain, a Duke University
                  political science professor. '"We want city council seats, police officers, school
                  boards."'

                  In places like Virginia, where Asians and Hispanics are concentrated in the
                  suburbs of Washington, the communities are still too new to become politically
                  involved.

                  "You're trying to survive," said Karen Narasaki, executive director of the National
                  Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium in Washington. "It takes a while to
                  establish yourself and get fully involved."

                  Asian advocates, for now, are focused on New York and California. Hispanics
                  are pursuing a broader approach, paralleling their larger numbers nationwide.

                  For all the potential conflicts, Lizabeth Vasquez, helping her dad at the Paterson
                  diner, is hoping the final outcome is that more of her people end up in office.

                  "They grew up in your community," she said as her 3-year-old daughter clung to
                  her hip. "They have more of an understanding."

                  Copyright 2001 The Associated Press.