Terms Used In Vermont Statutes Title 17 Sec. 1903

  • Election: means the procedure whereby the voters of this State, or any of its political subdivisions, select persons to fill public offices or act on public questions. See
  • following: when used by way of reference to a section of the law shall mean the next preceding or following section. See
  • Political subdivision: means any county, municipality (including cities, towns, and villages), representative district, senatorial district, school district, fire district, water, sewer, or utility district, ward, and any consolidation of the foregoing entities authorized under the laws of this State. See
  • Population: means the most recent census taken under the authority of Congress or a special census ordered to be taken by the Legislature. See
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States may apply to the District of Columbia and any territory and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. See

§ 1903. Periodic reapportionment; standards

(a) The House of Representatives and the Senate shall be reapportioned and redistricted on the basis of population during the biennial session after the taking of each decennial census of the United States, or after a census taken for the purpose of such reapportionment under the authority of this State.

(b) The standard for creating districts for the election of Representatives to the General Assembly shall be to form representative districts with minimum percentages of deviation from the apportionment standard for the House of Representatives. The standard for creating districts for the election of Senators on a county basis to the General Assembly shall be to form senatorial districts with minimum percentages of deviation from the apportionment standard for the Senate. The representative and senatorial districts shall be formed consistent with the following policies insofar as practicable:

(1) preservation of existing political subdivision lines;

(2) recognition and maintenance of patterns of geography, social interaction, trade, political ties, and common interests;

(3) use of compact and contiguous territory. (Added 1965, No. 97, § 3; amended 1973, No. 210 (Adj. Sess.), § 7, eff. April 3, 1974; 1981, No. 30, §§ 3, 7, eff. April 16, 1981; 1991, No. 116 (Adj. Sess.), § 5, eff. Feb. 13, 1992.)