Montgomery Township and Rocky Hill Borough, which have been represented by U.S. Representative Tom Malinowski in the 7th Congressional District, are being shuffled into a reconfigured 12th Congressional District.
The two towns will be represented by U.S. Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman of the 12th Congressional District. Watson Coleman, like Malinowski, is a Democrat.
The move from the 7th Congressional District to the 12th Congressional District was triggered by the congressional redistricting process that occurs every 10 years, following the U.S. Census population count.
Princeton and West Windsor are not affected by the redistricting move, and will continue to be represented by Coleman. She is serving her fourth term representing the 12th Congressional District.
The new map outlining New Jersey’s 12 congressional districts was adopted in December 2021 and filed with the New Jersey Secretary of State on Jan. 6.
There are 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, and redistricting is the process that allocates seats to each state on the basis of population, according to the New Jersey Redistricting Commission.
The purpose is to ensure that each person is equally represented in the U.S. House of Representatives through congressional districts – one person, one vote.
The congressional districts are created to be as equal in population as possible, according to the commission. This means a town may be shifted from one congressional district to another.