Fairfield Considers Reducing Polling Places, Reps

FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Where you vote and who you will be voting for might be completely different when Fairfield’s next round of municipal elections comes around. Committee of representatives are now working to rearrange Fairfield’s voting districts and are divided on how to do it.

The state redrew its district lines for the Connecticut General Assembly last fall, based on new population statistics from the 2010 Census. Fairfield’s government is undergoing a similar change, based on the redrawn state districts.

“The way the state changed the districts, they left splits all over the place,” said RTM Majority Leader David Becker. He was referring to polling places that could potentially have elections for three state representative races in November. “There will be a big adjustment because of that.”

Six members of the Representative Town Meeting have formed the Redistricting Committee — Republicans Becker, Joseph Palmer and Hank Ference with Democrats Kevin Hoffkins, John Mitola and Leonora Campbell. The six legislators are meeting to determine the boundaries of Fairfield’s voting districts. These districts determine where residents vote and who represents them in the RTM, the town’s legislature.

Fairfield currently has 10 voting districts, each represented by five people on the RTM. Hoffkins has said in committee meetings that he sees no reason to break from that model.

“Voters understand where their districts are [now], and I think it helps provide a continuity,” Hoffkins said. “I think to make a change, you want to have a justification for it. And I just don’t see any justification for it.”

Becker and the Republican caucus have pitched a plan to consolidate those districts and shrink the size of the RTM. The GOP’s map would have eight polling places and would elect an RTM of 40 members.

The plan could save the town money, because it would have two fewer polling places to staff and buy equipment for each election, Becker says. A smaller legislature would also “streamline” the RTM’s monthly meetings by having fewer representatives with the opportunity to talk, yet would not affect voters’ representation.

“While reducing the overall size of the RTM, moving to eight districts but still keeping five representatives per district gives each constituent the same direct representation,” Becker said. “You have five reps now, and you'll have five reps afterward.”

Hoffkins, however, said a smaller RTM wouldn’t cut the length of the meetings because most of the group’s time is taken up by a few representatives, not the full 50. He also sees a larger body with smaller constituencies tied to Fairfield’s purely democratic system from the Colonial era.

“Just having more eyes and brains and heads looking at the same issue just gives you more opportunities to come up with some great ideas,” Hoffkins said.

The RTM Redistricting Committee will continue working on a plan Friday starting at 5 p.m. in the second floor conference room of Sullivan Independence Hall. The committee’s plan would then go to the full RTM for approval. The changes would go into effect starting with November’s elections and possibly for the August primaries.

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