Redistricting is the process of redrawing the boundaries of voting districts to account for changes in population. It occurs every ten years after the Census. Drawing district boundaries powerfully influences how our communities are represented in the democratic process. Unfortunately, most states, including New Jersey, put the power to redistrict in the hands of politicians who use the redistricting process to solidify their power.
Legislative Redistricting
In New Jersey, state legislative districts are drawn by an 11 member partisan commission, the New Jersey Apportionment Commission, that is appointed in equal numbers (5 Democrats and 5 Republicans) by the chairs of the state Democratic and Republican committees, with one independent or "tiebreaking" member. This year, independent member Philip Carchman was appointed by New Jersey Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner after the partisan delegations were unable to agree on a choice for the role.
The appointees for the 2020-2021 Redistricting cycle are as follows:
Independent Member
Philip Carchman, former New Jersey Superior Court Judge
Democratic Appointees
Leroy Jones Jr, Chair of NJ Democratic State Committee· Cosmo Cirillo, West New York Commissioner
Steve Sweeney, State Senate President
Gary Taffet, Middlesex County Democratic Committee
Diane Testa, Fairview Borough Administrator
Republican Appointees
Al Barlas, Essex County Republican Committee Chairman
Thomas Kean, Jr., Senate Minority Leader
Jon Bramnick, Assembly Minority Leader
Michael Lavery, Former Republican State Chairman
Linda DuBois, Salem County Republican Chair
Congressional Redistricting
The New Jersey Redistricting Commission, charged with drawing congressional districts, is also partisan. It consists of 12 members chosen by the Senate President, Assembly Speaker, minority leaders of both houses, and both party chairs, for a total of six members from each party. The 13th independent member serves as Chair of the Commission. The independent Chair this cycle, former New Jersey Supreme Court Justice John Wallace, was appointed by the New Jersey Supreme Court. Visit the Commission's website, njredistrictingcommission.org, for additional information.
The appointees for the 2020-2021 Redistricting cycle are as follows:
Independent Member and Chair
John Wallace, former New Jersey Supreme Court Justice
Democratic Appointees
Janice Campbell Fuller, former chief of staff to Congressman Frank Pallone
Iris Delgado, Executive Director of the Middlesex County Democratic Organization
Vin Gopal, State Senator
Stephanie Lagos, chief of staff to First Lady Tammy Murphy Jeff Nash, Camden County Commissioner
Dana Redd, former State Senator and mayor of Camden
Republican Appointees
Doug Steinhardt, former Republican State Chairman
Mark LoGrippo, Westfield Coucilmember
Jeanne Dovgala Ashmore, former aide to Gov. Chris Christie
Lynda Pagliughi, Republican state party vice chair
Mark Duffy, Executive Director of the Assembly Republican Office
Michele Albano, Finance chair for Minority Leader Jon Bramnick
Timeline
Because of the passage of Question 3 and Census delays related to the Covid-19 pandemic, the timeline for redistricting this year is considerably different. Deadlines for certifying new legislative and congressional maps have been delayed until 2022, after this year's elections:
The deadline for the Redistricting Commission to produce a map for Congressional districts is January 18, 2022.
The deadline for the Apportionment Commission to produce a map for Legislative districts is March 1, 2022.
