Article IV, § III

1. After the next and every subsequent decennial census of the United States, the Senate districts and Assembly districts shall be established, and the senators and members of the General Assembly shall be apportioned among them, by an Apportionment Commission consisting of ten members, five to be appointed by the chairman of the State committee of each of the two political parties whose candidates for Governor receive the largest number of votes at the most recent gubernatorial election. Each State chairman, in making such appointments, shall give due consideration to the representation of the various geographical areas of the State. Appointments to the Commission shall be made on or before November 15 of the year in which such census is taken and shall be certified by the Secretary of State on or before December 1 of that year. The Commission, by a majority of the whole number of its members, shall certify the establishment of Senate and Assembly districts and the apportionment of senators and members of the General Assembly to the Secretary of State within one month of the receipt by the Governor of the official decennial census of the United States for New Jersey, or on or before February 1 of the year following the year in which the census is taken, whichever date is later. 2. If the Apportionment Commission fails so to certify such establishment and apportionment to the Secretary of State on or before the date fixed or if prior thereto it determines that it will be unable so to do, it shall so certify to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey and he shall appoint an eleventh member of the Commission. The Commission so constituted, by a majority of the whole number of its members, shall, within one month after the appointment of such eleventh member, certify to the Secretary of State the establishment of Senate and Assembly districts and the apportionment of senators and members of the General Assembly. 3. Such establishment and apportionment shall be used thereafter for the election of members of the Legislature and shall remain unaltered until the following decennial census of the United States for New Jersey shall have been received by the Governor. 4. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs 1, 2, and 3 of this Section III, when the receipt by the Governor of the official decennial census of the United States for New Jersey occurs after February 15 of the year ending in one, following the year in which the census is taken, the commission shall certify the establishment of Senate and Assembly districts and the apportionment of Senators and members of the General Assembly to the Secretary of State after the November general election of that year ending in one, but not later than March 1 of the year ending in two. The commission shall begin conducting its business upon the receipt by the Governor of the official decennial census of the United States for New Jersey, and the eleventh member of the commission shall be appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey within one month of the Governor's receipt of that census data. Such establishment and apportionment shall be used for the election of members of the Senate and General Assembly beginning with elections conducted in the year ending in three, and elections thereafter, and shall remain unaltered until the following decennial census of the United States for New Jersey shall have been received by the Governor. The Senate and Assembly districts certified to the Secretary of State by the previous Apportionment Commission for the previous decade shall remain in effect in that year ending in one and in the year ending in two, and shall be used for legislative elections in those years. For the election of members of the Senate and General Assembly occurring in November of that year ending in one, members shall be elected by the legally qualified voters of their district as drawn by the previous Apportionment Commission for the previous decade, for terms beginning at noon of the second Tuesday in January next following their election and ending at noon of the second Tuesday in January two years thereafter.