Connecticut's proposed 2022 congressional map moves about 72,000 residents to new districts, but does not radically rearrange the boundaries of those districts.
Saying he followed the State Supreme Court's order to adopt a plan with the "least change," special master Nathaniel Persily submitted his proposed map to the court Tuesday. Persily was appointed to step in after members of a bipartisan panel could not agree on a final map.
In documents presented to the court, Persily writes that the plan "moves the minimum number of people necessary in order to achieve population equality (among the state's five congressional districts). It does so while also not splitting or moving any additional towns."
The map splits the same communities that were split in the 2011 map: Glastonbury, Middletown, Shelton, Torrington and Waterbury.
During their negotiations, Democrats and Republicans had tangled over Torrington. Republicans wanted to move all of the city (pop. 35,515) into the 5th Congressional District, expected to be the site of a competitive U.S. House election in November. Democrats were hoping to keep part of Torrington in the 1st District, considered safe election territory for Democrats.
Under Persily's plan, 5,024 Torrington residents would be moved from the 5th Congressional District to the 1st. He explains, "The Special Master’s Plan, adopting a least change approach, keeps Torrington split and modifies the split only to the extent necessary to achieve population equality." He says moving all of Torrington into one district would require changing the districts of tens of thousands of residents.
Other splits:
Glastonbury (pop. 35,159)-- moves 21,288 from District 1 to District 2
Middletown (47,717)-- moves 19,798 from District 3 to District 1
Shelton (40,869)-- moves 25,627 from District 4 to District 3
Waterbury (114,403)-- no change
The proposed map will be considered by the State Supreme Court during a public hearing on Jan. 27.
