Voter data available on legislative districts

AUGUSTA – Mainers who plan to vote on Tuesday, June 8, but have questions about what district they live in can find information on newly apportioned congressional and legislative districts online or by contacting the Secretary of State’s elections division.

Written boundary descriptions of Maine’s two congressional and 186 legislative districts, a copy of the apportionment plans and an overview of the apportionment process can be found at http://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/apport/apport.htm, or by calling 624-7650.

Copies of individual district maps are available on the Web site and from the elections division. Large maps outlining the state’s congressional and legislative districts are available.

Maps and district boundary descriptions have been provided to municipal clerks.

Apportionment, or redistricting, is the process of creating voting districts for the purpose of organizing elections. Because a state’s population can grow, shrink or shift, voting districts are adjusted or redrawn every 10 years. In general, the purpose is to ensure that all districts contain about the same number of people, so all citizens have equal representation in government.

As a result of the latest apportionment for the 2004 elections, every district for the Maine House of Representatives will have about 8,443 residents. Each district for the Maine Senate will have about 36,426 residents. Maine’s two Congressional districts will have about 637,462 residents.