AUBURN – State Rep. Sonya Sampson hasn’t moved, but many of her constituents have “relocated.”

As the Democrat campaigns for re-election, she says “it’s like starting all over again.” She’s knocking on doors of homes she didn’t knock on two years ago. When people answer, “they don’t know who I am.”

That’s because the borders of her legislative district – in fact the borders of every legislative district in Maine – have changed. As required every 10 years after the Census, borders of political districts are redrawn to represent population growth or migration. The new boundaries take effect for the June 8 primary.

It means Sampson and other state lawmakers are gaining or losing constituents – or both.

Sampson used to represent a portion of Auburn, but changes in the Lewiston-Auburn population means if re-elected she will represent part of Auburn and a piece of Lewiston. “I’m gaining what used to be part of Representative (Richard) Mailhot’s district. It runs up Lisbon Street,” Sampson said. “I’m losing part of New Auburn, Main Street and the downtown.”

A decline in Lewiston’s population means the number of House representatives is shrinking from five to four. Sampson or Republican challenger Walter Crites of Auburn will end up representing portions of both.

The redistricting also means changes for other political borders within Maine, from the congressional districts down to city wards. As for the congressional districts, the Second District – which includes Lewiston-Auburn – is gaining more Kennebec County municipalities, including Waterville.

Many municipalities will change their ward lines by June 8, which will mean some residents will vote at new locations. But area town and city clerks say the majority of voters will face few changes. Town clerks in Rumford, Turner, Sabattus, Minot and Jay all say their residents will vote where they did last election, since each of those towns has only one voting spot. Throughout Maine 400 out of the 500 municipalities have only one voting location, so their residents won’t be voting someplace new, said Doug Dunbar of the Secretary of State’s Office.

In Auburn about 400 out of 16,256 voters will have to switch poll location for the upcoming primary because city ward lines have changed. They will go to Fairview School instead of a Poland Road recreation center. Those voters have been notified by mail, said Clerk Mary Lou Magno.

Lewiston’s new ward boundaries for city races won’t be redrawn until November, so new voting locations won’t be an issue on June 6, said Lewiston City Clerk Kathy Montejo. “For this election there’ll be no change on voting location. That’s the summer project we need to do.”

Every voter in Maine will be affected by the redistricting, although they likely will not realize it. The ordering of the House districts (1-151) and Senate districts (1-35), which went north to south for the Senate and south to north for the House, have been reversed. “If you asked 10 people what their legislative district number is, I don’t know if any of those 10 people could tell you,” Magno said.

Because of redistricting, term limits and fresh candidates, many voters will see new names on their ballot this year, Dunbar said. About half of Lewiston voters will have a different incumbent to decide on because of the redistricting, Montejo said.

Rep. Lillian O’Brien, D-Lewiston, who is uncontested in June and will be running against Republican Andrew Simon in November, said her altered district has grown geographically. That’s fine, she said. “Walking is good for me.”

Even though the change means there’ll be four Lewiston representatives instead of five, the change is good, she said. If re-elected to the district, it “would give me a chance to share the people I’ve represented with Sonya Sampson, who’ll be taking over that part of Lewiston” if re-elected, O’Brien said.

“We’re Lewiston-Auburn,” not Lewiston and Auburn, she said. “Here’s a chance to share what we’ve got.”

The Secretary of State’s Office suggests that residents call their town clerk if they are concerned about their district number or about where they should go to vote.

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