Reclaiming Our Democracy: The Pennsylvania Conference to End Gerrymandering
The conference kicked off with announcing commitments from Senators Tom Killion and Lisa Boscola to introduce PA Senate versions of House Bills 22 and 23.
The conference kicked off with announcing commitments from Senators Tom Killion and Lisa Boscola to introduce PA Senate versions of House Bills 22 and 23.
YES, Voters care about fair districts and are willing to sign a petition in support.
A just-released Franklin & Marshall College survey of registered voters shows overwhelming support for an independent citizens commission.
The terms “racial equity” and “communities of interest” are sometimes equated, as if respect for communities of interest is the sole and best guarantee of racial equity.
Three members of the first California Citizens Redistricting Commission visited Pennsylvania on September 16 to 18 to share their experience in drawing district lines. This was the third delegation from the commission to visit PA. As Commissioner Cynthia Dai said hopefully, “Maybe the third time’s the charm.”
Fair Districts PA supporters showed up in large numbers for the House State Government Committee hearing on September 18, 2019. After a staff scramble to find overflow space, Committee Chair Garth Everett invited attendees to sit on the floor, stand in the back, or move to a training room nearby to watch proceedings on a large screen tv.
A committee in the House is holding a hearing on September 18 about redistricting reform. We can’t all show up in Harrisburg, but we can make an impact so all state representatives know their constituents want reform before the 2021 redistricting cycle, not in 2031!
The Governor’s Reform Commission released a statement and report with recommendations to improve the process of creating legislative district boundaries, completing the work described by Governor Wolf in an executive order last fall “to explore ways Pennsylvania could curb gerrymandering and make redistricting fairer and nonpartisan.”
In the final hours of the 2019 term, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 that federal courts lack jurisdiction to decide political gerrymandering cases. That means the door to justice in federal courts is closed.
The Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs and Philadelphia City Council adopt resolutions to end gerrymandering in Pennsylvania through creation of independent citizens commission for legislative and congressional redistricting.