Input Sought On Electoral Riding Boundaries

You will soon have the chance to recommend changes to the province’s 49 electoral districts.

The Electoral Boundaries and Representation Commission will visit 12 communities to gather input.

The independent group is tasked with redrawing the electoral riding boundaries to be used in the next general provincial election in October 2024.

“Our goal is to offer an open and transparent process that allows all New Brunswickers the opportunity to share with us their ideas on ways to enhance the electoral landscape of our province,” said commission co-chair Roger Clinch.

Evening meetings have been scheduled in Inkerman, Campbellton, Bathurst, Miramichi, Bouctouche, Moncton, Edmundston, Grand Falls, Woodstock, Saint Andrews, Saint John and Fredericton between Aug. 23 and Sept. 15.

A full list of the meeting locations can be found by clicking here.

In addition to the in-person meetings, there will be two virtual meetings, allowing individuals and organizations to make presentations online. They will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sept. 1 and from 6 to 9 p.m. on Sept. 12.

You can also make submissions or provide feedback on possible boundary changes through the commission’s website.

In redrawing the boundaries, the commission must ensure the number of electors in each district is “as close as reasonably possible to the electoral quotient” or the average number of electors in each riding.

The commission can depart from voter parity “in order to achieve effective representation of the electorate” based upon several considerations, including communities of interest, local government boundaries, the rate of population growth in a region, effective representation of rural areas, and geographical features.

The commission, which will report its findings to the legislature, is scheduled to release its preliminary report in mid-December.

From there, the commission will hold a second series of public meetings before submitting its final, which must be done within 90 days of the preliminary report.