NJTV’s Raven Santana reports
Monday morning members of the Assembly Judiciary Committee held a meeting via Zoom to discuss a proposed constitutional amendment that would keep current district lines in place until the 2023 election, for a total of 12 years, instead of the 10 now mandated in the constitution.
Assemblyman John McKeon, the sponsor of bill ACR188, says due to the uncertainty of COVID-19, he’s concerned the state won’t have the most up-to-date census data, which is why he proposed the amendment.
“If we’re concerned about a census undercount in these communities of color, we should also be concerned with how delaying the drawing and implementation of a new redistrict map is going to also impact these same communities of color,” said Helen Kioukis, program associate for the New Jersey League of Women Voters.