The number of the district has changed, but Stoughton’s representative in Congress has not.

Governor Deval Patrick signed the Congressional redistricting bill into law on Monday, establishing Massachusetts’ nine Congressional districts, which will take effect for the 2012 election.

Stoughton, currently in the ninth Congressional district, will now be part of the eighth, but Stephen Lynch (D-South Boston) will still represent the town in Washington, D.C., as he has done since 2001.

Per the results of the 2010 Census, Massachusetts will lose a Congressional district for the 2012 election and going forward. The state currently has 10 districts, but will now have only nine.

Lynch’s district loses Randolph, part of Milton, Medfield, Hanson and Needham. When the redistricting maps were first released, he was also set to lose Walpole to the fourth district, currently represented by Barney Frank (D-Newton), but a last-minute swap kept Walpole in Lynch’s district, with Easton now moving to Frank’s district.

The new eighth district picks up towns like Abington, Weymouth, Hingham, Cohasset, Scituate, Hull, Quincy and part of Raynham.

Quincy is the most notable because it is the home of Congressman William Keating. But instead of a primary showdown between Keating and Lynch, both Democrats, Keating has indicated he will move to the Cape, where he already owns a home, and run in the new ninth district.

Otherwise, the new ninth district, comprised of much of Keating’s current tenth district, would have no incumbent.

One of the objectives of the Congressional redistricting was to create a district where minorities make up the majority of the voters. Michael Capuano, a Democrat, currently represents this new seventh district.

“My thanks go out to our legislative leaders and members of the Joint Special Committee on Redistricting for coming together and completing this extraordinary task,” said Governor Patrick in a press release after signing House Bill 3798, “An Act Establishing Congressional Districts.”

“The districts adhere to Constitutional guidelines and were created through an open and transparent process,” the Governor continued. “Most importantly, these new districts are regionally balanced and reflect the Commonwealth’s diversity.”

Take a look at maps of the new Congressional districts in the media gallery above. Note the swap of Easton and Walpole is not reflected on these maps.