Redistricting plan unfair, voters should choose their elected officials
The Legislative Reapportionment Commission (LRC) composed of the top legislative leaders of both parties and a chair appointed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has released their proposed redistricting map. While the public hoped there would be citizen input and a transparent process, the reality was quite different.
The maps released on Thursday were kept secret before being released publicly, approximately 24 hours before the LRC met to vote on approving the newly drawn legislative boundaries. There was not an opportunity for input from the public. The lack of transparency in the process was disappointing.
While some observers hail the new maps as a triumph for expanded minority representation, others are critical of the impact the maps will have on individual districts and communities of shared interest.
For example, the House map maintains 12 majorityminority districts, meaning a single community of color comprises the majority. The new map changes from 6 to 13 coalition districts, jurisdictions where communities of color collectively comprise the majority. However, in Chester County, it seems we take a step backward in minority representation as the 74th Legislative District, which has been represented by an African American for the past decade and is currently represented by my colleague Dan Williams, has been redrawn in such a way that the minority vote is significantly diluted. This change will put future minority representation in 74th Legislative District in serious doubt.
Also, communities of interest have been divided in numerous parts of the state. In the 167th, Easttown and Willistown have been carved out, separated from the shared business corridor of Route 30 and the neighborhoods connected by it. The new district will add parts of East Goshen and all of East Caln and West Vincent townships, stretching the boundaries further west and further north.
Another disappointing change separating our communities of interests is the Great Valley School District will no longer be wholly contained in one legislative district. The redistricting process that gathered public input for congressional redistricting found keeping school districts within the same jurisdictions was important. With the new map, the Great Valley School District will be split into two districts for the first time in at least a decade.
Although I firmly believe voters should choose their elected officials and not the other way around, losing municipalities with which I am strongly connected is painful.
I currently live in East Whiteland which remains part of the 167th, but I lived in Willistown for 20 years, raising and educating my children there and having deep ties politically and personally to the community. It is especially painful to lose communities that have been such an integral part of my life and that I have represented the past two terms in the state legislature.
I can only say to my friends and constituents in Easttown and Willistown, whom I have served, that I will continue to hold these communities in my heart and will always be an advocate for their best interests and stand ready to help anyone who needs my help in the future.
What’s next?
The next step for the new maps is to undergo a 30-day public comment period followed by 30 more days for court challenges before a final map is passed by the LRC. If you would like to weigh in on the new redistricting proposals, you may use this link to register your comments with the LRC or send written comments to: 2021 Pennsylvania Legislative Reapportionment Commission, P.O. Box 203079, Harrisburg, PA 17120.
The deadline for comments is January 18, 2022 and must be either uploaded on the website or physically received by the Commission by that deadline. Input uploaded or received after January 18, 2022, even if postmarked before that date, cannot be considered by the Commission.
Please know that while I am deeply disappointed this map strips integral parts of the 167th District I have represented, it appears to make the state, which has been ruled by a gerrymandered majority for the last decade, more competitive and reflective of the actual political divisions of our Commonwealth.
While I intend to do what I can to keep Easttown and Willistown in the 167th District, I am prepared to welcome new voters and work hard to elect a new majority in Harrisburg and end a decade of Republican dominance representing minority points of view in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.