Vermont Senate districts, 2002-2012
Encyclopedia
Vermont's
state Senate
consists of 30 members elected from 13 single or multi-member district
s provided for in the redistricting
and reapportionment plan developed by the Vermont General Assembly
following the 2000 U.S. Census
. The plan applies to legislatures elected in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010. A new plan will be developed in 2012 following the 2010 U.S. Census.
As of the 2000 census, the state as a whole had a population of 608,827. As there are a total of 30 Senators, there were 20,294 residents per senator.
throughout the district.
Districts range from one to six senators. Three districts elect one senator each, six districts elect two each, three elect three each, and one (Chittenden
) elects six.
in the state House of Representatives
argued that different size districts were not truly equal, and proposed instead that the state be divided into fifteen approximately equal sized two member districts. Others, especially Democrats
countered that the plan would cause major disruption to the makeup of the Senate, and that its true purpose wasn't equality, and was instead designed, simply, to increase the number of Republicans in the Senate. The plan would have cost a number of senators their seats, which didn't make it popular with that chamber. Senate opposition, together with opposition from Democrats, meant the proposal was not enacted.
With its six members, the Chittenden district was the natural focus of the controversy. As a less drastic proposal, some advocated splitting that district into two three member districts, however this effort was also unsuccessful.
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
state Senate
Vermont Senate
The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The Senate consists of 30 members. Senate districting divides the 30 members into three single-member districts, six two-member districts, three three-member districts, and one...
consists of 30 members elected from 13 single or multi-member district
District
Districts are a type of administrative division, in some countries managed by a local government. They vary greatly in size, spanning entire regions or counties, several municipalities, or subdivisions of municipalities.-Austria:...
s provided for in the redistricting
Redistricting
Redistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes determined by the results of the decennial census. In 36 states, the state legislature has primary responsibility for creating a redistricting plan, in many cases subject to...
and reapportionment plan developed by the Vermont General Assembly
Vermont General Assembly
The Vermont General Assembly is the legislative body of the U.S. state of Vermont. The Legislature is formally known as the "General Assembly," but the style of "Legislature" is commonly used, including by the body itself...
following the 2000 U.S. Census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
. The plan applies to legislatures elected in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010. A new plan will be developed in 2012 following the 2010 U.S. Census.
As of the 2000 census, the state as a whole had a population of 608,827. As there are a total of 30 Senators, there were 20,294 residents per senator.
Members per district
Senators in multi-member districts are elected at-largeAt-Large
At-large is a designation for representative members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent the whole membership of the body , rather than a subset of that membership...
throughout the district.
Districts range from one to six senators. Three districts elect one senator each, six districts elect two each, three elect three each, and one (Chittenden
Chittenden Vermont Senate District, 2002-2012
The Chittenden Senate District is one of 13 Vermont Senate districts included in the redistricting and reapportionment plan developed by the Vermont General Assembly following the 2000 U.S. Census. The plan applies to legislatures elected in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010. A new plan will be...
) elects six.
Criticism and controversy
The differences in the size of the districts has been a source of some controversy. In 2002, during the debate over the current districting plan, some, particularly RepublicansRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
in the state House of Representatives
Vermont House of Representatives
The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members. Vermont legislative districting divides representing districts into 66 single-member districts and 42 two-member...
argued that different size districts were not truly equal, and proposed instead that the state be divided into fifteen approximately equal sized two member districts. Others, especially Democrats
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
countered that the plan would cause major disruption to the makeup of the Senate, and that its true purpose wasn't equality, and was instead designed, simply, to increase the number of Republicans in the Senate. The plan would have cost a number of senators their seats, which didn't make it popular with that chamber. Senate opposition, together with opposition from Democrats, meant the proposal was not enacted.
With its six members, the Chittenden district was the natural focus of the controversy. As a less drastic proposal, some advocated splitting that district into two three member districts, however this effort was also unsuccessful.
District naming
Senate district lines are drawn with an eye toward adhering to the boundaries of the state's 14 counties, and the districts are named after the county or counties in which the bulk of the district is located. However, due to equal representation requirements of the federal and state constitutions, most districts do not have precisely the same boundaries as their respective counties, containing either one or more towns from neighboring counties or not containing one or more from their own county (or both). Washington and Windsor are the only districts that have the same bounds as their respective counties.Districts
| District | Senators |
|---|---|
| Addison Addison Vermont Senate District, 2002-2012 The Addison Senate District is one of 13 Vermont Senate districts included in the redistricting and reapportionment plan developed by the Vermont General Assembly following the 2000 U.S. Census. The plan applies to legislatures elected in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010. A new plan will be... |
|
| Bennington Bennington Vermont Senate District, 2002-2012 The Bennington Senate District is one of 13 Vermont Senate districts included in the redistricting and reapportionment plan developed by the Vermont General Assembly following the 2000 U.S. Census. The plan applies to legislatures elected in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010. A new plan will be... |
|
| Caledonia Caledonia Vermont Senate District, 2002-2012 The Caledonia Senate District is one of 13 Vermont Senate districts included in the redistricting and reapportionment plan developed by the Vermont General Assembly following the 2000 U.S. Census. The plan applies to legislatures elected in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010. A new plan will be... |
|
| Chittenden Chittenden Vermont Senate District, 2002-2012 The Chittenden Senate District is one of 13 Vermont Senate districts included in the redistricting and reapportionment plan developed by the Vermont General Assembly following the 2000 U.S. Census. The plan applies to legislatures elected in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010. A new plan will be... |
|
| Essex-Orleans Essex-Orleans Vermont Senate District, 2002-2012 The Essex-Orleans Senate District is one of 13 Vermont Senate districts included in the redistricting and reapportionment plan developed by the Vermont General Assembly following the 2000 U.S. Census. The plan applies to legislatures elected in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010. A new plan will be... |
|
| Franklin Franklin Vermont Senate District, 2002-2012 The Franklin Senate District is one of 13 Vermont Senate districts included in the redistricting and reapportionment plan developed by the Vermont General Assembly following the 2000 U.S. Census. The plan applies to legislatures elected in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010. A new plan will be... |
|
| Grand Isle Grand Isle Vermont Senate District, 2002-2012 The Grand Isle Senate District is one of 13 Vermont Senate districts included in the redistricting and reapportionment plan developed by the Vermont General Assembly following the 2000 U.S. Census. The plan applies to legislatures elected in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010. A new plan will be... |
|
| Lamoille Lamoille Vermont Senate District, 2002-2012 The Lamoille Senate District is one of 13 Vermont Senate districts included in the redistricting and reapportionment plan developed by the Vermont General Assembly following the 2000 U.S. Census. The plan applies to legislatures elected in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010. A new plan will be... |
|
| Orange Orange Vermont Senate District, 2002-2012 The Orange Senate District is one of 13 Vermont Senate districts included in the redistricting and reapportionment plan developed by the Vermont General Assembly following the 2000 U.S. Census. The plan applies to legislatures elected in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010. A new plan will be... |
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| Rutland Rutland Vermont Senate District, 2002-2012 The Rutland Senate District is one of 13 Vermont Senate districts included in the redistricting and reapportionment plan developed by the Vermont General Assembly following the 2000 U.S. Census. The plan applies to legislatures elected in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010. A new plan will be... |
|
| Washington Washington Vermont Senate District, 2002-2012 The Washington Senate District is one of 13 Vermont Senate districts included in the redistricting and reapportionment plan developed by the Vermont General Assembly following the 2000 U.S. Census. The plan applies to legislatures elected in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010. A new plan will be... |
|
| Windham Windham Vermont Senate District, 2002-2012 The Windham Senate District is one of 13 Vermont Senate districts included in the redistricting and reapportionment plan developed by the Vermont General Assembly following the 2000 U.S. Census. The plan applies to legislatures elected in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010. A new plan will be... |
|
| Windsor Windsor Vermont Senate District, 2002-2012 The Windsor Senate District is one of 13 Vermont Senate districts included in the redistricting and reapportionment plan developed by the Vermont General Assembly following the 2000 U.S. Census. The plan applies to legislatures elected in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010. A new plan will be... |
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See also
- Members of the Vermont Senate, 2005-2006 sessionMembers of the Vermont Senate, 2005-2006 sessionThe following is a list of the persons who have served in the Vermont Senate during the 2005-2006 session:-Addison:*Claire D. Ayer, Democrat*Harold W. Giard, Democrat-Bennington:*Richard W. Sears, Democrat*Mark I. Shepard, Republican-Caledonia:...
- Vermont Representative Districts, 2002-2012Vermont Representative Districts, 2002-2012Vermont's state House of Representatives consists of 150 members elected from 108 single or two-member districts as provided for in the redistricting and reapportionment plan developed by the Vermont General Assembly following the 2000 U.S. Census. The plan applies to legislatures elected in 2002,...