Research has shown that legislators will take feedback to redistricting committees and the more specific and local you are, the better. Your testimony is an important part of building pressure for Fair Maps.

We currently have four committees collecting written testimony for Congressional District reapportionment and State House and Senate District Reapportionment. This table will direct you to all of your available outlets.

Committee	What are they redrawing?	Written Testimony Deadline	Written Testimony Submission
Legislative Reapportionment Commission	State House and Senate districts	Not Yet Given	PA Redistricting Site
House State Government Committee	Federal Congressional Districts	October 13, 2021	Only through partisan website by region
Senate State Government Committee	Federal Congressional Districts	Not Yet Given	Only through partisan website
Governor’s Advisory Commission	Federal Congressional Districts	Not Yet Given	Public Comment Site

Writing your Testimony

To write testimony that can influence the decisions of our legislative representatives when they draw the maps that will impact the state over the next 10 years, we suggest the following:

1. Think Local

Testimony and feedback regarding small geographic areas have a higher likelihood of becoming adopted by the map drawers. You may want to consider limiting your feedback to specific geographic areas, keeping in mind the more specific, the likelier your feedback will be adopted:

• Are you looking specifically at Federal Congressional Districts, or State House and Senate Districts?
• Your neighborhood
• Your municipality in relationship to surrounding municipalities
• Your counties in relationship with surrounding counties

2. Define Your Community

Be clear about the community you are representing, give details to decision-makers that can help them make specific decisions surrounding your community. Maps and demographic data cannot easily tell the story of how people relate in a particular area. Questions worth considering:

• What makes your neighborhood or area distinct?
• Why is considering your locality important for the committee(s)?
• Are there areas demarcated by landmarks, roadways, or aspects of “local” knowledge not obvious to newcomers?
• What ties you to surrounding neighborhoods or localities where having a shared representative would be important?

3. Give Instructions

Tell the drawers what you would like to see happen. Some examples you may consider below:

• Is your neighborhood one that you think should remain in one, cohesive district with specific surrounding neighborhoods?
• Which areas should be included in one district and which should be excluded?
• Which criteria should be considered by map drawers?
• Be specific about locations of map lines, if you are indicating a past problem or where lines could possibly be drawn, ensure you reference specific landmarks or easily-searchable details for those drawing maps

Some Great Examples from This Year:

Legislative Redistricting Commission

Ardith Talbott

House State Government Committee

Xiohang Daoughty
GL Johnson
Timothy Campbell
Cristina Beuger
Karen Calhoun

Additional Resources

Brennan Center - 6 Tips for Making Effective Redistricting Comments

The Fair Districts PA Testimony Worksheet - Use this to help guide writing a more in-depth testimony

Prepare Your Testimony (available in 5 languages)

Election Law Journal - Study on Congressional Redistricting Testimony