>Congressional Redistricting : changes to the 5th Congressional District
Rep. Scott Garrett
December 29, 2011
With Congressional redistricting now complete, many New Jerseyans have called with questions about the process and changes to the 5th Congressional District. We hope the below FAQs help answer some of these questions.
What is Congressional redistricting?
Congressional redistricting is a process that happens every ten years to ensure that the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are evenly distributed to reflect changes in population. Because New Jersey’s population growth did not keep up with other states, we lost one Congressional seat. With your help, the 5th Congressional District will continue to be represented by Scott Garrett.
Who created New Jersey’s new Congressional map?
A bipartisan commission of six Republicans, six Democrats, and one tie-breaking member was tasked with creating New Jersey’s new Congressional map. The tie-breaking member, Rutgers Law School Dean John Farmer, was agreed upon by both the Republicans and the Democrats. A majority of the commission voted to approve the new Congressional map on Friday, December 23rd.
When does this new map take effect?
Candidates will run in these new districts in the 2012 election. Once a new Congress is sworn in the first week of January 2013, the Members of Congress will officially represent these new districts.
Is my town still in the 5th Congressional District?
The new 5th Congressional District includes many of the same towns that it currently does, but with a few important changes. In Bergen County, the district lost Cresskill and Tenafly and picked up Fair Lawn, Maywood, Lodi, Hackensack, Bogota, and part of Teaneck. In Passaic County, the district lost Wanaque and Bloomingdale. In Sussex County, the district lost Ogdensburg and Sparta. In Warren County, the district lost Harmony, Franklin, Lopatcong, Greenwich, Phillipsburg, Alpha, and Pohatcong.