Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that amends the redistricting process to redraw congressional boundaries using Census tracts and blocks.

Highlights:

• Requires the division of each town into voting wards and precincts to be approved locally and submitted through the state secretary to the local election districts review commission within 30 days after the enactment of the legislation dividing districts into the following (Sec. 1.B):

• Congressional districts according to the United States Constitution;

• 40 senatorial districts according to section 2 Article CI of the Articles of Amendment to the Constitution of the Commonwealth;

• 160 representative districts according to section 1 of said Article CI; and

• 8 councilor districts according to section 2 of said Article CI and Article XVI of the Articles of Amendment to the Constitution of the Commonwealth.

• Requires the division of each city and town into convenient voting wards or precincts to be approved locally and submitted through the state secretary to the local election districts review commission no later than December 15, 2021 (Sec. 1.C).

• Specifies that subsection (b) of section 1 applies to any town with a population greater than 2,500 inhabitants based on the 2020 federal census (Sec. 2).

• Requires the local election districts review commission to do the following, within 7 days, if a city or fails to complete, approve, and submit a new division of voting wards and precincts through the state or secretary promptly (Sec. 3):

• Make such division of the city into wards and precincts or the town into precincts; or

• Appoint a special master to make such divisions, subject to approval and amendment by the constitution.

• Requires the local election districts review commission to deliver to the president of the senate and speaker of the house of representatives an electronic geographic information file containing each city, town, ward, and precinct in the approved districts and a file with a written description of the changes made for each district within 14 days of receiving the divisions (Sec. 4).

• Authorizes the local election districts review commission to promote rules and regulations necessary for the orderly administration and enforcement of this act by posting a notice on the state secretary’s website (Sec. 5).

Full Bill Text