New Jersey Legislative
Apportionment Commission
Thank you for your interest in the legislative redistricting process in New Jersey. As required by the New Jersey Constitution, the Apportionment Commission is charged with redrawing the lines of the State's 40 legislative districts, from which the 40 Senators and 80 members of the General Assembly are elected.
Legislative redistricting must be undertaken at the beginning of each decade to account for population changes that occur during the previous decade within the geographic boundaries of the State. The purpose of redrawing the districts is to ensure equal democratic representation among the members of the population as nearly as practicable.
Before the legislative redistricting process can begin, the federal decennial census of the United States must be taken. The census provides the raw demographic and geographic data from which legislative districts are created. The United States Constitution establishes the census as the basis for the apportionment of members of the House of Representatives, but is silent as to the mechanics of establishing legislative districts. Therefore, each state has its own method of redrawing legislative boundaries at the start of each decade.
In New Jersey, the redistricting map is created by the Apportionment Commission. Initially, the Commission consists of 10 members appointed in equal numbers by the chairmen of the State committees of each of the two political parties whose candidates for Governor received the largest number of votes at the most recent gubernatorial election. If the Commissioners cannot agree on a map, an 11th Commissioner is appointed by the Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court.
The following members have been appointed in accordance with the New Jersey Constitution to serve as Commissioners for the 2021 redistricting round.
| Democratic Members | Republican Members |
|---|---|
| LeRoy J. Jones, Jr.(Co-Chair) | Al Barlas(Co-Chair) |
| Cosmo Cirillo | Jon M. Bramnick |
| Stephen M. Sweeney | Linda DuBois |
| Gary Taffet | Thomas H. Kean, Jr. |
| Diane T. Testa | Michael B. Lavery |
| 11th Member | |
| Philip S. Carchman | |
As the legislative redistricting process unfolds, the Apportionment Commission is eager to engage the residents of the State of New Jersey. This website is designed to provide information to the general public about the purpose and process of legislative redistricting in New Jersey, and to facilitate the public’s input in this very important process.
