‘Redistricting Reform’ forum set for March 4 in Boyertown
BOYERTOWN » A presentation on “Making Your Vote Count — Redistricting Reform,” will be made at the Boyertown Community Library, 24 N. Reading Ave., on Wednesday, March 4.
The presentation by Fair Districts PA is scheduled for 6:45 p.m.
Sally Trump and Rich Rafferty, the Fair Districts PA Leads for Berks and Montgomery counties, will outline gerrymandering reform efforts in Pennsylvania.
The 2020 Census will determine how the lines for new Congressional and state legislative districts will be drawn by Harrisburg.
“It’s important to remember,” Rafferty said, “that the 2018 Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision that forced a redrawing of our 18 Congressional district maps will expire in 2021 and the same Harrisburg legislative leaders will then proceed under the old backroom rules, resulting in another 10-year cycle of gerrymandered Congressional and state legislative maps. We need reform legislation to be adopted in 2020.”
Politicians have been selecting their voters through advanced digital mapmaking rather than voters choosing their political leaders at elections, according to the group.
“Berks County, with a population of 418,000, should have 7 state representatives with election districts completely inside the county. Instead, the 2011 gerrymandered district maps gave us nine state representative districts, of which five are split across adjoining counties,” said Rafferty.
Likewise, Berks should have one or two state senate districts within its borders; instead, Berks has four senate districts, three of which are split across adjoining counties,
“It’s important to remember that the 2018 Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision that forced a redrawing of our 18 Congressional district maps will expire in 2021 and the same Harrisburg legislative leaders will then proceed under the old backroom rules, resulting in another 10-year cycle of gerrymandered Congressional and state legislative maps. We need reform legislation to be adopted in 2020.” — Rich Rafferty, Fair Districts PA
he said.
“Montgomery County, with a population of 826,075 residents, should have 13 state representatives with election districts completely inside the county. Instead, the 2011 gerrymandered district maps gave us 18 state representative districts, of which six state representatives partially represent Montgomery County and an adjoining county such as Berks, Delaware or Chester. Likewise, all six Montgomery County Senators also represent another part of adjoining counties,” he said.
Carol Kuniholm, the cofounder and chair of Fair Districts PA, said, “by any measure, Pennsylvania is among the most severely gerrymandered states in the nation. This means diminished choice for all voters. Our distorted districts yield a less accountable government that is unable to enact policy solutions or accomplish even the minimum requirement of the job — to agree on a reasonable budget.”
Fair Districts-PA endorses redistricting reform legislation that puts redistricting control in the hands of an independent citizens commission, operating transparently and with a minimum of personal voter data.
“Our reform legislation has garnered a near-majority of state representatives support during the current 2019-20 legislative session — but appears blocked by leaders of both parties,” she said.
Area Pennsylvania legislators have also been invited to attend the March 4 event.
The telephone number is 610-369-0496.
This article first appeared as a post in The Digital Notebook blog.