New district maps aren’t perfect, but better than before
The courts have spoken. The lines are drawn. And the campaigning has begun.
Now that Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court has approved the legislative voting maps, there are no more shoes left to drop in the ten-year redistricting process. Candidates now know exactly whom they will vie to represent and can begin the tedious process of logging signatures, filing election papers, canvassing for votes; and, we almost forgot, raising money.
It’s been a hard-fought battle these past months over both the congressional and legislative maps. There have been a gubernatorial veto, legislative bickering, and multiple court fights. A lot was a stake for both Republicans and Democrats as these new maps will govern Pennsylvania politics for the next ten years.
Everyone isn’t happy; that’s a given.
House Republican Leader Kerry Benninghoff of Centre County says he’s still looking for legal options to challenge the legislative maps. But he’ll have a hard time finding them.
With respected, nonpartisan organizations like the League of Women Voters, Fair Districts PA, Draw the Lines PA, and its parent, the Committee of Seventy, applauding the maps, voters can have a good degree of confidence they are fairer than the gerrymandering of the past decade.
Volunteers in these organizations have spent years working to ensure candidates from either political party have a fair shot at being elected. And they’ve worked to ensure minority voices aren’t marginalized or segregated.
The volunteers who put into so many hous of work, even drawing their own maps to guide the process, deserve the gratitude of Pennsylvania’s voters.r
Voters also should thank Mark Nordenberg, former University of Pittsburgh chancellor who chaired the Legislative Redistricting Commission (LRC), charged with redrawing maps of state House and Senate districts.
He has been a respected voice during the process and has been widely applauded for his calm and steady leadership.
Nordenberg has released a comprehensive report that summarizes the mapping process that is worth reading. Because now that the legal battles are done, it’s time for voters to get to work.
Pennsylvania voters now need to study the final maps, find out where their house has landed and pay attention to the candidates who soon will be knocking on their doors, if they haven’t already. In their ruling last week, judges changed the elections calendar to allow candidates to begin collecting signatures for their nomination petitions Friday through March 28.
These next few weeks before the May 17 primary will be a political frenzy with voters having to decide who will represent the Democratic and Republican parties in the general election for governor, lieutenant governor, as well as in the state legislature and Congress.
Even if you haven’t paid attention over these past months, it’s time to wake up now. Informed voting is a responsibility of each citizen in this commonwealth. Voters need to get to know the candidates and chose competent leaders who will represent them with honesty, integrity, and transparency.
That’s the best way to thank the many volunteers who worked so hard for so many years to make Pennsylvania’s maps fairer for everybody.
It’s been a hard-fought battle these past months over both the congressional and legislative maps.