Press Conference Urges a Vote for Redistricting Reform
On November 19, Fair Districts PA leaders, volunteers and supporters gathered in the capitol rotunda to call on legislative leaders to take action on redistricting reform legislation.
On November 19, Fair Districts PA leaders, volunteers and supporters gathered in the capitol rotunda to call on legislative leaders to take action on redistricting reform legislation, Senate Bill 131 and House Bill 31, which propose a constitutional amendment to establish an independent redistricting commission.
Event participants explained why passage of these bills was important to them and to the citizens of Pennsylvania.
Senator Tim Kearney, prime sponsor of Senate Bill 131, emphasized the unfairness of the current redistricting process and the importance of putting people first:
We are now watching as redistricting has become a focal point of winning and let’s be frank, rigging elections across the country rather than a way of fairly representing the people.
For too long, Pennsylvanians have watched as political maps were drawn behind closed doors by those who stood to gain the most from them. This erodes trust in our democracy and leaves people, especially those who are already marginalized, feeling underrepresented. Creating an independent citizens commission will be a major step forward in ensuring that maps are drawn for the people, not for the politicians.
Representative Mark Gillen, Republican prime sponsor of House Bill 131, addressed the need to get politics and politicians out of the redistricting process. He shared a graphic of his old Congressional District 7, sometimes referred to as “Goofy kicking Donald,” and said:
We’ve got to get the political class out of mapmaking because it has been an abysmal failure, and it’s time to render maps like this extinct, and it’s time to make extinct the opportunity for the political class to produce in the future any maps like this, regardless of the party.
FDPA Chair Carol Kuniholm explained what the bills would accomplish:
“The legislation would enshrine protection of minority voters in the state constitution, would narrow the overly large population deviations currently permitted in drawing house and senate districts, and permit more reasonable deviations for congressional maps. The legislation is designed to provide accountable representation for all Pennsylvania voters, no matter where they live or how they vote, and to restore trust through a transparent public process and clear, prioritized criteria.”
Reverend Earl Harris of Harrisburg pointed out that unfairly drawn districts affect all of us, but often harm minority communities the most.
“When voting districts are drawn to deliver pre-determined partisan outcomes, as we have seen in this region for decades, true representation vanishes. I witnessed district lines that were shaped for years by political gamesmanship over the needs of families, children, and communities. So, when I say the stakes are high now, I mean that for every father, mother, child, and neighbor who hopes to be heard, the map matters.”
Hayden Johnston, a law student and former Fair Districts intern from Indiana County, talked about interacting with voters of all ages.
“As a young voter I have met other young people who are just as passionate as I am about this issue. We see that as 20-year-olds we will be living in this system for a long time, and we want the districts to be drawn fairly. I have talked to voters my age, my father’s age and my grandfather’s age who agree with my views on this and are surprised that legislators are drawing district lines and they all want an independent commission. Fair Districts is a commonsense issue and now is the time for Pennsylvania to push for this bipartisan reform to guarantee fair districts and fair elections for our state.”
Stanley Chepaitis talked about the nonsensical districts when he retired from teaching music and began a small farm a decade ago:
“At that time, even though Indiana County had only about 20,000 more people than would fit in one state representative district, it had four different districts criss-crossing parts of the county including my congressional district that was appended by one thin line to a city over an hour away. As a result of these “safe” districts, some candidates were running unopposed.”
Jodi Reese, from Dauphin County, has spent countless hours researching redistricting and talked about what keeps her motivated. She described how our congressional districts were created by the House State Government Committee without considering any public comments received online or at public hearings. She also noted that while the commission that drew state legislative districts held public meetings and received thousands of online comments, the maps themselves were drawn behind closed doors. Reese lamented:
“Today, 10 years and 14 redistricting bills supported by Fair Districts later, we still have no reform. And without reform, the two processes I described are all we’ve got. That motivates me.”
Tom DeLoe from Adams County added his voice of support on behalf of many others:
“The vast majority of Pennsylvanians support an independent commission. They do not want elected officials, whether Democrats or Republicans, to choose their voters. They want fair elections, and they want the districts to reflect the political culture of our state.”
Following the press conference, dozens of FDPA volunteers visited every legislative office to talk to legislators or their staff and deliver materials, including a letter to leaders asking that they begin hearings and votes on the proposed bills as soon as possible in 2026, with passage in both chambers before Independence Day 2026.
Documents in the folder are available for review or download below: