Bill > H856

This bill modifies Massachusetts election laws related to reprecincting (redrawing voting district boundaries) by establishing new requirements and procedures for the Local Election Districts Review Commission and the state secretary. The bill defines "decennial division" as the process of redrawing congressional, representative, senatorial, and councillor districts every ten years. Key provisions include requiring the commission to minimize creating sub-precincts, mandating that the commission cannot approve city or town ward and precinct divisions until the governor approves the decennial district division, and requiring the commission to provide detailed electronic geographic information system (GIS) shapefiles and written descriptions of district changes to the state secretary within 30 days of final district approval. The bill also requires the state secretary to maintain an online portal with commission records, meeting notices, and district information, and mandates that cities and towns submit electronic files detailing their ward, precinct, and sub-precinct populations. Additionally, the bill stipulates that precincts in towns split across multiple districts must remain unchanged until the next decennial division, and gives the state secretary responsibilities for assisting towns in drafting precinct maps and making these drafts publicly available.

Government Affairs

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H856