Town Of Dedham: Town Of Dedham 2022 Census Mailings Delayed

Press release from the Town of Dedham:

02/07/2022 9:49 AM

The 2022 Dedham Town Census we be mailed out mid-February, a delay from past years when it was mailed out at the start of the new year. The Town Clerk made the decision to wait to mail out the 2022 Town Census to prevent confusion among Dedham residents who may have a change in voting precinct as a result of the reprecincting process that began in October 2021.

“Our main concern is if we send out the Town census before recording the final changes to the voting precincts, we may generate more questions from residents during the weeks leading up to Town elections and at a time when we are helping people register to vote, “ said Town Clerk Paul Munchbach.

The change in mailing date is due to the updated boundary changes to Dedham voting precincts determined by the State. The Town is currently awaiting final approval from the State on the new map. Once approved, the Town will publish and circulate the updated voting precinct map to residents.

Here are some frequently asked questions about the reprecincting process and its impacts here in Dedham:

What is reprecincting?

Reprecincting is the drawing of new, local district lines. The voting precincts in Dedham are drawn based on population and represent equal numbers of residents. The total population is different from the total number of registered voters and is based on the most recent federal census (2020 US Census). In addition, the voting precincts form congressional districts, state senator districts, and state representative districts.

How often is reprecincting done?

The process of reprecincting is done every ten years, after each federal census.

Why does Dedham have to go through the reprecincting process?

Massachusetts State Law requires that each city and town review the population data collected through the federal census every ten years and provide a final, updated map to the State. The goal when reviewing and updating the voting precincts is to ensure an equal representation of population across the community.

What are the requirements for drawing the precinct lines?

Each voting precinct in Dedham must meet the following requirements (as stated by Massachusetts Law):

• Precincts must be “composed of compact and contiguous territory” without protruding fingers or long tails to the extent possible
• Precincts must be bounded by the center line of streets or other well-defined boundaries such as streams or other bodies of water, railroad tracks, power lines or other clearly visible geographic figures.
• No precinct may contain more than 4,000 residents
• Precinct populations must be within five percent (5%) of the average precinct population
• New precinct boundaries cannot result in the dilution of minority group members' votes

Will the total number of voting precincts change?

The number of voting precincts, seven, will not change with the updated map.

Will my polling location change?

It is possible your polling location may change. Each registered voter in Dedham will be notified by the Town Clerk's Office of a change in their polling location and precinct. The total number of voting precincts will not change with the updated precinct boundaries.

Will changes to the precinct boundaries in Dedham have an impact on Town Meeting?

The changes to the precinct boundaries will not have an impact on Town Meeting or the number of Town Meeting members here in Dedham. 

Does reprecincting have an impact on school districting?

No, the precinct boundary updates only apply to the voter precincts.

Anyone with questions is encouraged to contact the Town Clerk’s Office at 781-751-9200.

Annual Town Elections will be held on Saturday, April 9, 2022. Polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and a map of the current voting precincts and polling locations is available on the Town website at www.dedham-ma.gov. The deadline to register to vote in this Town election is Friday, March 18, 2022, and can be done in-person at the Town Clerk’s Office at Town Hall, by mail (download and print voter registration form), or you can register online at https://www.sec.state.ma.us/OVR/.

This press release was produced by the Town of Dedham. The views expressed here are the author’s own.