Earlier this week, we learned some great news: Massachusetts will keep all 9 of its seats in the US House of Representatives.
However, since the country as a whole grew (as did Massachusetts), the size of each Congressional district must grow from about 728,849 after 2010 to 781,497.
Some parts of the Commonwealth grew over the last decade, and some didn’t — and the lines all have to be redrawn.
Here’s where you come in.
The Legislature will be holding hearings about what those new lines should look line.
Next Tuesday (5/4), at 5 pm, the Legislature will hold a hearing about the future boundaries of MA’s 5th Congressional District. You can sign up to testify here.
- Where’s the 5th? Arlington, Ashland, Belmont, Cambridge (partially), Framingham, Holliston, Lexington, Lincoln, Malden, Medford, Melrose, Natick, Revere, Sherborn, Southborough, Stoneham, Sudbury (partially), Waltham, Watertown, Wayland, Weston, Winchester, Winthrop, Woburn
On Monday, 5/24, at 5:30 pm, the Legislature will hold a hearing about the future boundaries of MA’s 2nd Congressional District. You can sign up to testify here.
- Where’s the 2nd? Parts of Central Mass in & around Worcester and the Pioneer Valley in & around Northampton (See a full list here)
So What is Redistricting Anyway?
Every 10 years, the MA Legislature — like state legislatures around the country — uses census data to redraw legislative districts for both state and federal officials. This includes your state representative, your state senator, and your Representative in the US Congress.
Redistricting is about more than just changing lines on a map: it’s about issues of equity and representation that are the bedrock of democracy. When done right, redistricting can increase the power of the communities that are so often disenfranchised — communities of color, low-income communities, and immigrant communities — and give them a greater voice in our political system.
But that doesn’t happen on its own.
In the coming months, we’ll be working with partners in the Drawing Democracy Coalition — community organizations, civil rights lawyers, policy advocates, data experts, and political scientists — to help make that happen.
We’ll keep you posted in the coming months about how to best take action. For now, the first step is to make sure you stay informed. Subscribe to Drawing Democracy’s weekly newsletter, follow the coalition on Twitter, and like the coalition on Facebook.
