When Maine voters go to the polls in November, they might notice unfamiliar legislative district numbers next to the names of their candidates of choice — or that candidates for whom they usually vote are not listed.
That is because the state has renumbered legislative districts and some areas have been moved into other districts.
State Rep. Bruce White
For example, in Waterville, state Rep. Bruce White, a Democrat who has represented District 109, now will be representing District 65. While most of the area he represents will remain the same, the lines of his district have moved slightly so he no longer represents Colby College students and staff members who live downtown at the Bill & Joan Alfond Main Street Commons.
“They carved that out and they’re putting it with District 64, which would have been District 110,” White said.
District 110, represented by Colleen Madigan, also a Democrat, will become District 64.
White said residents need be apprised of district renumbering so they can become familiar with candidates who might be new to them, as voters are bombarded with political flyers prior to elections.
“I think it’s important for people to know ahead of time, and not be surprised as it gets close to the election,” White said. “I think the earlier people know, the better for them.”
The districts in Waterville were renumbered by the Legislature’s bipartisan Apportionment Commission last fall and will be used in the 2022 elections, according to Emery Younger, policy adviser in the Office of the Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives.
The redistricting process is conducted every 10 years, following the U.S. census, and ensures districts’ populations do not become unbalanced and run afoul of the one-person, one-vote principle, according to Younger.
The new districting maps were approved by both houses of the Maine Legislature before Gov. Janet Mills signed them, he said.
“Traditionally, the House seats rotate between a north-to-south orientation and a south-to-north orientation,” Younger wrote Wednesday in an email. “For example between 2012 and 2022, District 1 was in Kittery and District 151 included Fort Kent. From 2022 until 2032, District 1 will cover Fort Kent and District 151 will comprise of Kittery.”
The new maps are being implemented by the secretary of state’s office, according to Younger. The League of Women Voters also created a “Zoomable” map of the new districts, and while it is not a resource created by the state, it is a valuable tool, Younger said.
Apportionment, or redistricting, is the process of creating voting districts for the purpose of organizing elections, according to the website for the Maine Secretary of State’s Bureau of Corporations, Elections & Commissions.
“Because a state’s population can grow, shrink or shift, voting districts are adjusted or redrawn every 10 years in Maine,” it reads. “In general, the purpose is to make sure all districts have about the same number of people in them so that all citizens have equal representation in government.”
White, who was elected to District 109 in 2018 and is in his fourth year, is the only candidate officially running for his seat in November, according to the Maine Ethics Commission website, which tracks candidate input.
The deadline for Republicans and Democrats to submit signatures to the state is Tuesday. Candidates who are unenrolled must have signatures submitted by June 1 in time for the June 14 primary.
However, Michael “Isreal” Mosely, former chairman of the Waterville Democratic Committee, sent a letter to city Democrats recently, saying he planned to resign that post, officially unenroll from the Democratic party and run for House District 65 as an unenrolled candidate.
“I believe that while we have made some progress in ensuring our party is considered a welcoming organization dedicated to helping our neighbors there are limitations to what can be done through a municipal party alone,” he wrote in the letter.
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