6th Senate District Same After Reapportionment

The Sixth Senatorial District, with includes New Britain, appears to remain unchanged after the state Reapportionment Commission reworked Connecticut’s State Senate districts.

The 6th Senatorial District, one of thirty-six districts in the state legislature’s upper chamber, appears to still include all of New Britain, all of Berlin and the same neighborhoods in Farmington as for the past ten years. The Commission unanimously approved the new plan of districts for the Senate at its meeting today, November 23, 2021.

Sen. Rick Lopes (D-6) represents the 6th Senate District.

The continuation of the lines in the Senate district representing New Britain is in contrast to more significant changes made by the Commission to the state House of Representatives districts representing New Britain at its meeting on November 18th.

The new House and Senate districts will be in place for the next ten years. The state Reapportionment Commission’s website says,

Federal law requires districts to have about equal populations so that everyone’s vote has equal importance (“One person, one vote”). State law requires that Congressional and legislative district lines be redrawn every 10 years. The districts must be based on the federal census and consistent with federal constitutional standards.

The Reapportionment Commission website says that, in the state’s district reapportionment process, the state legislature can approve a plan of districts by a two-thirds vote of both the House and Senate, but that,

If the General Assembly does not approve a plan by the September 15 deadline, a nine-member Reapportionment Commission is formed. The commission must prepare a plan by November 30, 2021. The four top legislative leaders designate eight members (two each) to the commission, whom the governor appoints. The eight appointees must select a state elector as the ninth member.

Congressional districts are still yet to be set by the Reapportionment Commission. Connecticut is represented by five seats in the United States House of Representatives.

The Commission’s website says that,

If the commission cannot agree on a plan, the constitution empowers the state Supreme Court to make them do the job. Alternatively, the court can draw the district boundaries itself, which it must do no later than February 15, 2022.

At their meeting today, members of the Commission discussed asking the state Supreme Court for a three week extension to the November 30th deadline they have to complete their task of drawing of Congressional district lines.

With the state legislative districts are completed, the Republican-dominated city hall in New Britain will determine the City Council districts for the next ten years.