Demand an end to Pa. gerrymandering

I recently moved to Pottstown and went online to find my congressional district.

It was harder than I thought!

I thought I could simply vote for the congressman who represents Montgomery County (which includes the number of persons needed to make one district) but found that it was split up between five different districts!

I challenge anyone to look at the congressional districts map drawn by our legislature and not tell me there is major hanky-panky going on. Tell me why one district’s outline (the 7th) looks like “Goofy kicking Mickey,” and why our own 6th district’s lizard shape stretches its slithery way from Lebanon, through Berks and Montgomery, and finally lays its tired head in Chester County.

There can only be bad reasons our state government drew them this way: to make it harder for the people’s voice to be heard in elections. Forget about “illegal voters” ... it is legislative moves like this that destroys faith in elections and democracy.

I found out these shenanigans are what’s called “gerrymandering,” that is, drawing crazy-shape district lines to disenfranchise voters.

You know, I can accept that not all voters agree with me and that sometimes my side loses, but to negate the voter’s voice to keep certain people in office is reprehensible and I’ll work to rid us of this tyranny of the incumbents.

— Denis Carpenter Pottstown