Maine legislative representation shifted from counties to districts in the 1960s

Until the mid-1960s, Maine state senators represented counties rather than population-based districts. Under the state constitution in effect in 1965, each county was assigned between one and five senators based on its population.

This system changed following the 1964 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Reynolds v. Sims, which established the “one person, one vote” principle, requiring state legislatures to be apportioned by population. In November 1966, Maine voters approved a constitutional amendment to replace county representation with senatorial districts centered around approximately 30,000 residents. After lawmakers failed to agree on a new map, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court drew 32 districts in 1967.