Why Should Delaware Care?
Since 1977, Millsboro’s charter has gone unchanged, which has led to uneven representation, with one district significantly smaller than another. A recent bill would allow the town council to realign districts based on the latest population census and revise election procedures for more equal representation of its constituents
Millsboro, a small Sussex County town at the headwater of the Indian River, is seeking to update its charter to redraw district lines to account for population growth and equal representation.
The state bill to amend the town’s charter was introduced last December by Rep. Richard Collins (R-Millsboro/Dagsboro) and would allow the town council to reconfigure its three election districts and update its election process for vacancies in council.
The proposal was first introduced by the town council last fall before going to Dover.
Under the Delaware code, only the state has authority to change a town’s charter so the request must go through the state before a town can act on them.
Kimberly Kaan, mayor of Millsboro, says the town’s election districts were first established in 1977 when the charter was created and since then they have not changed.
In recent years the town has experienced a spike in population and currently their second district is significantly smaller than their third district. The change would allow them to create districts with an equal number of constituents, Kaan said.
If the bill is passed, the town would have until Jan. 1, 2026, to do their recounts using the 2020 federal decennial census, the nationwide population count that is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau.
From then on, they would need to redistrict within two years of every new census.
Under the current proposal, each district must be as equal in population as possible and make sure it’s one continuous area, with no separate, non-touching parts.
The bill also updates the process for filling town council vacancies, so if less than a year remains in the term, the council must appoint someone who lives in the corresponding district to fill the seat. But If more than a year remains, they must hold a special election.
This bill also clarifies the duties of the secretary and states that they must be a member of council.
Kaan said the clarifications were made to the position so that the secretary does not have to be present for every committee meeting.
The proposal cleared the House Administration Committee last month with all five members in favor and will now move to the Senate Elections and Government Affairs Committee for review.
A meeting date has not been set yet.
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