Changes to the district made as part of the [[New Jersey Legislative Districts, 2011 apportionment|New Jersey Legislative reapportionment in 2011]] removed the district's share of Newark while adding Millburn in Essex County, and the Republican-leaning Morris County municipalities of Chatham Township, East Hanover, Florham Park, Hanover Township, Harding Township and Madison. This made the district slightly more Republican than its predecessor.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2011/oct/18/nj-redistricting-pits-longtime-political-heavyweight-against-newcomer/ |title= NJ Redistricting Pits Longtime Political Heavyweight Against Newcomer |last1=Hennelly |first1=Bob |date=October 18, 2011 |work=[[WNYC]] |access-date=December 14, 2012}}</ref> Shifted out of the district were Fairfield Township, [[North Caldwell, New Jersey|North Caldwell]] and [[West Caldwell, New Jersey|West Caldwell]] (to [[26th Legislative District (New Jersey)|District 26]]) and Orange (to [[34th Legislative District (New Jersey)|District 34]]).
Changes to the district made as part of the [[New Jersey Legislative Districts, 2011 apportionment|New Jersey Legislative reapportionment in 2011]] removed the district's share of Newark while adding Millburn in Essex County, and the Republican-leaning Morris County municipalities of Chatham Township, East Hanover, Florham Park, Hanover Township, Harding Township and Madison. This made the district slightly more Republican than its predecessor.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2011/oct/18/nj-redistricting-pits-longtime-political-heavyweight-against-newcomer/ |title= NJ Redistricting Pits Longtime Political Heavyweight Against Newcomer |last1=Hennelly |first1=Bob |date=October 18, 2011 |work=[[WNYC]] |access-date=December 14, 2012}}</ref> Shifted out of the district were Fairfield Township, [[North Caldwell, New Jersey|North Caldwell]] and [[West Caldwell, New Jersey|West Caldwell]] (to [[26th Legislative District (New Jersey)|District 26]]) and Orange (to [[34th Legislative District (New Jersey)|District 34]]).
Following the reapportionment in 2021, all of the Morris County municipalities got removed from the district, while the [[Passaic County, New Jersey|Passaic County]] municipality of [[Clifton, New Jersey|Clifton]] gotadded to it, removing said municipality from its longtime home, the 34th,alongwithadding Montclair to the district for the first time since 2001.
Following the [[New Jersey legislative districts, 2021 apportionment|reapportionment in 2021]], all of the municipalities in Morris County were removed from the district, while the [[Passaic County, New Jersey|Passaic County]] municipality of [[Clifton, New Jersey|Clifton]] was shifted from its longtime home in the [[New Jersey's 34th legislative district|35th district]]. Montclair was shifted to the district for the first time since 2001.
The 27th District had 189,871 registered voters as of December 1, 2021, of whom 67,129 (35.4%) were registered as unaffiliated, 82,983 (43.7%) were registered as Democrats, 38,706 (20.4%) were registered as Republicans, and 1,053 (0.6%) were registered to other parties.[6]
The district includes a number of comparatively wealthy communities in Western Essex County, as well as a number of relatively poor areas close to Newark. The 27th district had one of the lowest percentages in the state of registered Republicans, with Democrats outnumbering Republicans by a more than 2–1 margin.[7][8]
The legislative district overlaps with 10th and 11th congressional districts.
Apportionment history
In the original creation of the 40-district legislative map in 1973, the 27th District consisted of the northern Essex County municipalities of Nutley, Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, Montclair, Cedar Grove, Verona, Caldwell, and Essex Fells.[10] For the 1981 redistricting, the 27th consisted of the four municipalities of The Oranges: South Orange, West Orange, Orange, and East Orange and a small sliver of the North Ward of Newark.[11] In the next redistricting in 1991, Montclair was added to the district and some Newark wards were removed.[12] With declining population through western Essex County, most of that side of the county made up the 27th District following the 2001 redistricting including Maplewood, Livingston, Fairfield Township, and The Caldwells. East Orange and the portions of the North Ward of Newark were removed but a small portion of Upper Vailsburg, Newark was included in the district this decade.[13]
Changes to the district made as part of the New Jersey Legislative reapportionment in 2011 removed the district's share of Newark while adding Millburn in Essex County, and the Republican-leaning Morris County municipalities of Chatham Township, East Hanover, Florham Park, Hanover Township, Harding Township and Madison. This made the district slightly more Republican than its predecessor.[14] Shifted out of the district were Fairfield Township, North Caldwell and West Caldwell (to District 26) and Orange (to District 34).
Following the reapportionment in 2021, all of the municipalities in Morris County were removed from the district, while the Passaic County municipality of Clifton was shifted from its longtime home in the 35th district. Montclair was shifted to the district for the first time since 2001.