Bill H.708

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3638 FILED ON: 1/20/2023

HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 708

By Representative Moran of Boston, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 708) of Michael J. Moran relative to reprecincting. Election Laws.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)

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An Act relative to reprecincting.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1. Section 9A of chapter 9 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting before the first paragraph the following paragraph:-

For the purposes of this section “decennial division” shall mean the decennial division of congressional, representative, senatorial and councillor districts as set forth in sections 1 through 7A, inclusive, of chapter 54.

SECTION 2. Said section 9A of said chapter 9, as so appearing, is hereby amended by adding the following 7 paragraphs:-

The commission shall not approve the division of any city or town into wards and precincts as required by chapter 54 until the final approval by the governor of the enacted decennial division.

The commission shall minimize the approval of sub-precincts and not impose a strict mathematical formula on the population deviation for municipal precincts unless the creation of a sub-precinct is required to meet a plus or minus 10 per cent population deviation for municipal representative districts.

The commission shall provide the state secretary with the meeting notice and minutes of all commission meetings, which shall be posted on the secretary’s website.

The commission shall provide the state secretary an electronic geographic information system shapefile or equivalent containing the population of every city and town ward, precinct and sub-precinct within the boundaries of the approved congressional, councillor, senatorial and representative districts and an ASCII compatible file containing a written description of all changes in the municipality, ward, precinct and county description of each approved congressional, councillor, senatorial and representative districts as will be reported by the

secretary pursuant to section 133 of chapter 54 no later than 30 days after the final approval by the governor of the enacted decennial division and shall be posted on the secretary’s website.

The state secretary will maintain and update any subsequent changes to city and town ward, precinct and sub-precinct and shall post those changes on the secretary’s website.

The state secretary shall establish, implement and maintain an internet portal on the secretary’s website to display and access commission records including but not limited to commission meeting notices, meeting minutes, votes approving municipal ward, precincts and sub-precincts, geographic information system shapefiles of approved voting districts, congressional, councillor, senatorial and representative district descriptions by municipality, including ward and precinct for any municipality split into multiple representative districts, and a complete listing of every precinct as will be reported by the secretary in public document 43 pursuant to section 133 of chapter 54.

The commission shall deliver to the senate president and speaker of the house of representatives, within 7 days following the approval of all municipal wards and precincts as required by chapter 54, an electronic geographic information system shapefile or equivalent containing the population of every city and town ward, precinct and sub-precinct within the boundaries of the approved congressional, councillor, senatorial and representative districts and an ASCII compatible file containing a written description of all changes in the municipality, ward, precinct and county description of each approved congressional, councillor, senatorial and representative district.

SECTION 3. Section 1 of chapter 54 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 1 and 2, the words “In the year 2001, and every tenth year thereafter, no

later than June fifteenth” and inserting in place thereof the words:- No later than 30 days after the final approval by the Governor of the enacted decennial division.

SECTION 4. Said section 1 of said chapter 54, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out the fourth paragraph and inserting in place thereof the following paragraph:-

The state secretary shall assist towns by producing draft precincts for future submission to the Local Election Districts Review Commission established under section 9A; provided, however, that any such draft map and precincts be compiled and updated into one electronic geographic information system shapefile or equivalent containing the population of every city and town ward, precinct, and sub-precinct and shall deliver said file to the president of the senate and speaker of the house of representatives and shall post the file on the secretary’s website.

SECTION 5. Said chapter 54, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting after section 1 the following section:-

Section 1A. For the purposes of this chapter “decennial division” shall mean the decennial division of congressional, representative, senatorial and councillor districts as set forth in sections 1 through 7A, inclusive.

SECTION 6. Section 2 of said chapter 54, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 14 and 15, the words “on the thirty-first day of December” and inserting in place thereof the following words:- 14 days prior to the state primary preceding the next biennial election.

SECTION 7. Said section 2 of said chapter 54, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out the second paragraph.

SECTION 8. Section 5 of said chapter 54, as so appearing, is hereby amended by adding the following paragraph:-

Every city, including those cities not subject to sections 1 through section 5, inclusive, of chapter 54, shall deliver to the local election districts review commission established under section 9A of chapter 9 no later than 30 days after the final approval by the governor of the enacted decennial division an electronic geographic information system shapefile or equivalent containing the population of every city and town ward, precinct and sub-precinct within the boundaries of the approved congressional, councillor, senatorial and representative districts and an ASCII compatible file containing a written description of all changes in the municipality, ward, precinct, and county description of each approved congressional, councillor, senatorial and representative district.

SECTION 9. Section 6 of said chapter 54, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 1 and 2, the words “In the year 2001, and every tenth year thereafter, no later than June fifteenth” and inserting in place thereof the words:- No later than 30 days after the final approval by the governor of the enacted decennial division.

SECTION 10. Said section 6 of said chapter 54, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out the sixth paragraph and inserting in place thereof the following paragraph:-

SECTION 11. Section 8 of said chapter 54, as so appearing, is hereby amended by adding the following paragraph:-

Every town including those not subject to sections 6 and section 7 shall deliver to the local election districts review commission established under section 9A of chapter 9 no later than 30 days after the final approval by the governor of the enacted decennial division an electronic geographic information system shapefile or equivalent containing the population of every city and town ward, precinct and sub-precinct within the boundaries of the approved congressional, councillor, senatorial and representative districts and an ASCII compatible file containing a written description of all changes in the municipality, ward, precinct and county description of each approved congressional, councillor, senatorial and representative districts.

SECTION 12. Section 9 of said chapter 54, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “precincts;”, in line 2, the following words:- provided, that such precinct is in a town the territory of which in such formation is not included in 2 or more congressional, representative, senatorial or councillor districts.

SECTION 13. Section 9A of said chapter 54, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out the second paragraph and inserting in place thereof the following paragraph:-

Any precinct established or remaining unchanged following the formation of congressional, councillor, senatorial and representative districts based on the decennial federal census shall remain unchanged and, if such precinct is in a town the territory of which in such formation is included in 2 or more congressional, representative or senatorial districts, shall remain unchanged for the purpose of electing such officers until the next decennial division.

Name:	District/Address:	Date Added:
Michael J. Moran	18th Suffolk	1/18/2023