Redistricting must include public input

State lawmakers will be getting a late start on the redistricting process this year because census data won’t be released until Sept. 30. That delay must not be a reason to rush the drawing of new district lines or to limit the public’s input.

The U.S. Census Bureau reported in February that population figures needed for redistricting wouldn’t be available until the end of September because of problems in collecting responses to questionnaires during the coronavirus pandemic.

That has groups such as Fair Districts PA — a redistricting reform organization that campaigned unsuccessfully for an independent citizens commission to redraw district lines — worried that lawmakers will rush the process and give little opportunity for public comment.

There is good reason for such concern.

When the last once-in-a-decade redistricting was done in December 2011, the Republican-controlled state Legislature had more than eight months to review data. Republican leaders revealed the new map and approved it in less than two weeks, leaving little time for public involvement.

That map, though it went into effect, faced ongoing court challenges based on allegations of gerrymandering, which ultimately led to the state Supreme Court overturning it and implementing its own map of congressional districts.

Time will definitely be a factor in completing a map in time for the 2022 primary election, but it is far from an unworkable situation.

Candidates face a March 9, 2022, filing deadline for the primary election, so they would need to know by then if they reside within the district boundaries of the office they are seeking. That would leave legislators with a little more than five months to complete the redistricting, though the filing deadline could be pushed back to allow more time.

Even the primary date, set for May 17, could be pushed back, much like it was in 2020 because of the pandemic. Last year’s primary was delayed from April 28 until June 2, and the election process suffered no discernible harm from the change.

What legislative leaders must not do is use the shortened timetable as an excuse to forgo the transparency that anti-gerrymandering activist groups such as Fair Districts PA are seeking.

The group has been lobbying for changes that would allow for livestreamed public hearings before and after maps are proposed; the creation of a website for data and public comment; and allowing residents to submit their own maps for consideration.

All the proposals would be dramatic improvements in the transparency of the redistricting process, which in the past has been little more than closed-door negotiations between legislative leaders and the governor.

Even if the census data is not available until September, preliminary work can begin now.

The official Legislative Reapportionment Commission, which is responsible for redrawing the legislative boundaries for the state’s 203 House and 50 Senate districts, should be certified now, and time frames established for public hearings and testimony.

The deadline for completing the redistricting process has some flexibility, and that flexibility should be used to ensure and encourage more time for public input.

Pennsylvania’s legislative leaders must not use the shortened redistricting timetable as an excuse to forgo the transparency that groups opposed to gerrymandering are seeking.