Top 10 of 2021: #10 – Reapportionment Changes State House Districts

This November, New Britain’s State Assembly districts were changed by the State Reapportionment Commission, in some ways, very significantly.

The changes affect how the city is represented in the State House of Representatives. The neighborhoods represented by different Assembly districts changed. And, New Britain traded a district with a Republican incumbent for one with a Democratic incumbent.

As in every year, there was so much news that the New Britain Progressive covered 2021 that choosing our traditional Top Ten stories of the year is difficult. But the lasting effect of the changes made in State House of Representatives districts made this story #10 of the New Britain Progressive‘s Top Ten Stories of 2021.

Reapportionment Changes State House Districts

November 18, 2021

The state Reapportionment Commission has changed the State House districts in New Britain, tilting toward Democratic representation for the city.

Three State Assembly districts represented by Democratic incumbents will remain in New Britain with changed lines, while New Britain will trade a part of the city being in a district that is represented by a Republican with a part being in a district that is represented by a Democrat.

The new 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 Twenty Fifth Assembly District, represented by Rep. Bobby Sanchez (D-25) and Twenty Sixth Assembly District, represented by Rep. Peter Tercyak (D-26), were already entirely within the city, and will continue to be.

Now, however, the Twenty Fourth Assembly District, represented by Rep. Manny Sanchez (D-24), which currently includes part of Newington, is being brought entirely into New Britain.

Meanwhile, the Twenty Second Assembly District, held by Rep. William Petit (R-22), which presently includes a large swath of the northwestern part of the city, will no longer represent New Britain, while a small part of the city will be in the Twenty Seventh Assembly District, represented by Rep. Gary Turco (D-27).

The new districts will take effect in the 2022 federal and state elections, so who will actually represent the newly redrawn districts will be determined by the voters in that election.

Twenty Fourth Assembly District

The 24th District will now represent the northwestern part of the city that has been in the 22nd District, as well as Mount Pleasant, which had been in the 25th District. It still includes the West End and Willow Brook neighborhood and the southwest part of the East Side.

Twenty Fifth Assembly District

The 25th District will continue to represent most of the center of the city and will expand into parts of the northern East Side now represented by the 24th District and parts of the southeast Belvedere neighborhood that has been in the 26th District.

Twenty Sixth Assembly District

The 26th District will continue to represent the Little Poland, Farmingdale, Little Warsaw and Batterson Pond neighborhoods, and will include parts of the southwest Belvedere neighborhood that has been in the 25th District.

Twenty Seventh Assembly District

The 27th District will represent south east part of the East Side, as well as neighborhoods in Newington.

More reapportionment ahead

With the new State House of Representatives districts now approved, the State Senate and Congressional Districts are still to be set by the Reapportionment Commission.

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.

After 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.