Why won’t all Delco lawmakers support redistricting reform?
To the Times:
Delco residents are calling for a new law to prevent gerrymandered districts that unfairly protect incumbents or preserve partisan advantage. Unfortunately, as Pennsylvania begins the process of redrawing voting districts to account for population changes revealed by the 2020 U.S. Census, the same old opaque practices remain in place.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Bipartisan legislation, House Bill 22 and Senate Bill 222, the Legislative and Congressional Redistricting Act (LACRA), was introduced in the state house in February. LACRA is simple and offers true reform. It will end the backroom redistricting deals by:
• enforcing clear and measurable map-making criteria and
• allowing real public engagement.
In a drive to meet with every single state legislator to ask for support for transparency in redistricting, over 800 volunteers from the non-partisan organization Fair Districts PA participated in virtual meetings with 200 of the state’s 253 lawmakers. In Delco, 15 constituent teams met with local legislators. Only one, Representative Regina Young, declined to meet with her own constituents.
The results are heartening. All four of Delco’s state senators: Amanda Cappelliti, John Kane, Tim Kearny, and Anthony Williams have cosponsored LACRA.
Sen. Williams said “More than ever, Americans, Pennsylvanians, want their belief in our democracy protected. An open and transparent process for drawing the line of our district is a significant step. I appreciate the efforts our volunteer citizens do to support this work.”
And eight of the county’s 11 state representatives have stepped up in support of transparency and fairness: Dave Delloso, Brian Kirkland, Leanne Krueger,
Jennifer O’Mara, Chris Quinn, Craig Williams, Greg Vitali, and Mike Zabel.
Rep. Quinn got to the root of the matter: “Voters should pick their elected representatives, not vice versa. The way in which Pennsylvania draws its legislative and congressional districts is inherently flawed. Reforming our redistricting process will lead to more competitive elections and require legislators to focus on finding solutions to the issues we face rather than playing to their political base.”
It’s regrettable that the two Delco representatives who hold remarkable power in the redistricting process have been noncommittal so far. Margo Davidson is the Democratic chair of the House State Government Committee. She can influence whether LACRA ever is moved out of her committee to get a vote. But despite numerous efforts by constituents for an answer she has remained silent.
Rep. Joanna McClinton is the House Democratic Caucus Chair, and she holds one of only five seats on the Legislative Redistricting Committee: The group that literally will draw the lines for new US Congressional districts in the state. Where does she stand on the fairness and transparency that the bill would bring? We’d like to know.
LACRA enjoys growing bipartisan support. Out of 203 representatives, HB 22 now has 87 cosponsors. Twenty-five of 50 senators have co-sponsored SB 222. But both bills are sitting in their respective chamber’s State Government Committee and await Majority Chairs Senator David Argall and Representative Seth Grove to bring LACRA to a vote in committee so that the full legislature can vote. Reps. Davidson and McClinton can, and should, work to make this happen.
Since the 1980s, Pennsylvanians have been subjected to increasingly gerrymandered districts. Extensive litigation, with taxpayers picking up bills in the millions of dollars, has followed every redistricting process since 1990. As a result of litigation, courts demanded that legislative maps be redrawn in 2011, and Congressional districts redrawn in 2018. As some state legislators continue to cling to unethical partisan advantages at the expense of citizens, we may be headed there this year as well, even though “voters are tired of the games, the litigation and the ensuing confusion,” said Fair Districts PA Communications Director Amy Ruffo.
In fact, a statewide survey conducted by the Center for Opinion Research at Franklin & Marshall College found that 72% of voters believe the current system allows party leaders to put party interests over those of voters, and 70% agreed that the current system creates polarization and gridlock in the Legislature.
This has been a long and unnecessary slog. “Many of our partners have been asking for redistricting reform since the 1980s and 1990s” said Fair Districts PA Chairwoman Carol Kuniholm. “This shouldn’t be a partisan process, and it shouldn’t depend on who is in charge. The rules should be clear so we can trust the outcome. LACRA would provide clear guidelines, greater transparency and a guaranteed role for the public.”
State voters want fair districts. Reps. Davidson and McClinton, it’s time to step up and use your power in support of reform