Contact Your Legislator

Help us send a clear message to Harrisburg: Pennsylvanians support fair districting policies, and we’re willing to fight for them.

Contacting your state legislators is one of the most effective ways to help our cause. We recommend phone calls, in-person visits, or printed letters—email doesn’t have as great an impact. Other things to keep in mind:

Prepare to give your name and where you live. Lawmakers only want to talk to their constituents.
Remember, this is a bipartisan effort. Regardless of your affiliation, contact members of both parties.
Tell a local story. Is your city or township fractured across districts? Is your district stretched so wide lawmakers and constituents can’t easily meet each other? Make your case specific to your legislator’s community.
Be polite. Regardless of their positions, thank them for their time.

Ready to get started? Follow these steps for a phone call or in-person meeting.

1. Find your state legislators

To find your legislators, go to the PA General Assembly locator tool, then use the drop-down list in our Advocacy Record Keeping tool. The tool shows contact info, if they supported past reform efforts OR have signed on to new ones.

2. Want more details?

To help you plan your call or visit, we can tell you more about your legislator’s positions and offer advice on how to approach them. We’re always gathering updates from citizens like you who’ve already spoken with their representatives.

Request legislator info

3. Prepare your talking points

In-person visits make the biggest impression. These talking points will help you have a productive, accurate conversation.

If your representative or senator have co-sponsored, contact them to say thank you, as a reminder that this matters to you—a lot.
If they haven’t co-sponsored, ask them to.

Here are some talking points:

An overwhelming majority of Pennsylvania PA voters want redistricting reform.

This belief is strong across voters of all parties and all parts of the state. (Want more detail? Check our survey update.)

A fully transparent redistricting process brings it out from behind closed doors.

When all redistricting activity takes place publicly, with meaningful opportunities for public engagement, voters can see and participate in the process. No more closed-door meetings where a handful of party operatives carve out districts in secret to punish recalcitrant legislators, protect incumbency and tip the outcome of elections in their favor. Transparency enhances voters’ trust in their government officials.

Strict map-making criteria eliminate some of the worst abuses of gerrymandering.

Clear, measurable controls on map-making make it harder to abuse the process:

Numerical limits on the number of county splits
Protect voting rights of minorities and communities of interest
No favoring or disfavoring of individuals or parties
Districts must be measurably responsive to voters

Explicit redistricting criteria establish standards to which legislators can be held accountable.

Show all talking points

National PACs and super PACS are targeting PA.

We’re a big swing state with a large legislature and lax campaign finance laws. Both Republican and Democratic PACs are working hard to flip PA districts. So much outside money creates an even more negative tone and discourages good people from both sides from seeking public office.

The current process allows party leaders too much influence over other legislators.

The five-member commission in charge of legislative redistricting is controlled by party leaders who can and do punish rank-and-file members who vote against the party line.

Voters are more engaged than ever, and they demand change.

Redistricting reform has become a rallying cry among a range of groups, and voters are taking notice. Leaders who show their commitment to fairness and are willing to fix our system will win many fans—while those who don’t will lose the confidence of their voters. The 2019 Franklin & Marshall survey suggests 3 out of 5 PA voters are more likely to vote for a legislator who supports an independent commission.

The current process can result in the deciding commission member being chosen by the state Supreme Court.

When the four commissioners can’t decide on a fifth member, the Supreme Court picks for them. That court is currently dominated by Democrats—which means the next state district maps will potentially favor Democrats unless Republicans help change the process. .

Our districts make it difficult for legislators to represent constituents.

Legislators struggle to keep track of which people are their constituents—and residents aren’t sure, either. Plus, when districts are stretched out and oddly shaped, it takes excessive driving time to get between district offices.

4. Tell us how it went

Please report back on contact with legislators, staff or candidates, even requests for meetings that were ignored or refused. That helps us keep track of all contact efforts and can give us insight into legislator or candidate support or opposition.

Report meeting request / result