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Monday, August 8, 2011

Public Meeting set for redrawing of Plainfield Ward boundaries



Plainfield's current Wards (click on a map to enlarge or print it).
Plainfield and nine other Union County communities will learn whether their ward lines will be redrawn at a public meeting on September 1.

State law provides for communities that elect governing body members by wards to redraw those boundaries following the decennial census, if necessary.

The lines are redrawn by a Board of Ward Commissioners, which is composed of the four members of the county board of elections (two Democrats and two Republicans) plus the municipal clerk of the affected municipality, who acts as a tie-breaker if needed.

Because wards must be apportioned in accordance with the US Supreme Court's 'one man, one vote' ruling, they must be roughly equal in size (the maximum deviation between the largest and smallest wards cannot exceed 10%). Plainfield's population increased from 47,829 to 49,808 -- just shy of 2,000 -- in the 2010 Census. If that increase is disproportionate across the wards, ward boundaries may have to be adjusted.

Union County has hired the politically juiced engineering firm of Remington & Vernick (heard of them?) as its consultants in the process of reviewing ward boundaries and the Census 2010 data and proposing any changed lines.

It would appear from the public notice (see below) that individual citizens may
also propose the redrawing of lines.

The other Union County communities with election by wards are: Clark, Elizabeth, Hillside, Linden, Rahway, Roselle, Roselle Park, Summit and Westfield.


Notice: Redrawing Plainfield Wards, 2011




Public Meeting to Consider Redrawing Ward Boundaries

September 1

10 AM - 4 PM
(Plainfield is at 11 AM)


Union County Board of Elections

271 North Broad Street
Elizabeth, NJ



-- Dan Damon [follow]

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