New Jersey Congressional
Redistricting Commission
Thank you for your interest in the congressional redistricting process in New Jersey.
The United States Constitution provides for 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives, which are allocated to each state in proportion to each state's population. Both congressional apportionment and redistricting must be undertaken at the beginning of each decade to account for population changes that occurred during the previous decade in the United States.
The United States Constitution establishes the federal decennial census as the basis for both apportionment and redistricting. The census provides the demographic and geographic data from which the number of congressional districts for each state are determined. Thus, changes in the population of each state will cause some states to gain, lose or remain the same in the number of congressional representatives.
The Clerk of the House of Representatives transmits to the Governor of each state a certificate specifying the number of representatives the state is entitled to have. For this period, New Jersey is entitled to 12 seats in the House of Representatives.
The New Jersey Constitution provides for the Redistricting Commission to draw the lines of the State's congressional districts. The 13 member Redistricting Commission is responsible for establishing congressional districts that are substantially equal in population.
In accordance with the New Jersey Constitution, the following members have been appointed to serve as commissioners for the current redistricting.
| Hon. John E. Wallace, Jr. Chair |
|
| Democratic Members | Republican Members |
|---|---|
| Janice Fuller (Delegation Chair) | Doug Steinhardt(Delegation Chair) |
| Iris Delgado | Michele Albano |
| Vin Gopal | Jeanne Ashmore |
| Stephanie Lagos | Mark Duffy |
| Jeff Nash | Mark LoGrippo |
| Dana Redd | Lynda Pagliughi |
Under the New Jersey Constitution, the commission must adopt the new congressional districts map by majority vote of its members, and certify such map to the New Jersey Secretary of State, on or before Tuesday, January 18, 2022. However, if the commission is not able to certify a congressional districts plan by that date, the New Jersey Supreme Court is required to certify one of the two district plans receiving the greatest number of votes (but not fewer than five votes), based on which of the two plans conforms most closely to federal legal and constitutional requirements.
As required by the State Constitution, the Redistricting Commission will be holding at least three public hearings in different parts of the State, but anticipates additional meetings beyond the Constitutionally required minimum to accommodate public engagement. As the congressional redistricting process unfolds, the 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 congressional redistricting in New Jersey, and to facilitate the public’s input in this important process.