Ways we can fix Pennsylvania’s broken election system
During the last few years, I have been a public speaker for Fair Districts PA, a nonpartisan group working to end gerrymandering and place the process of redistricting in the hands of an independent citizens commission.
I often begin my talks by asking the audience to share their major concerns. Typical responses include: property tax reform, fair and equitable funding for schools and infrastructure improvements to alleviate the heavy traffic ensnarling the Lehigh Valley. I also hear safety and environmental concerns related to fracking and pipeline construction. Ultimately, they are most frustrated with Harrisburg’s inability to solve problems.
I explain gerrymandering, how this prevents many citizens from receiving fair representation and impedes the work of good legislators. Partisan gerrymandering occurs when district lines are drawn to benefit one party over the other. Pennsylvania does this so well that 40% of state legislative and senate seats go uncontested in the general elections. That is not the sign of a healthy representative democracy.
Our Pennsylvania Constitution provides clear legal guidelines for redrawing these districts, which happens every 10 years after the U.S. Census. Districts should be drawn with these three constitutional directives: 1. All elections should be “free and equal.” 2. Districts should be drawn in a “compact and contiguous” manner, and 3. “Unless absolutely necessary,” counties, towns, boroughs and townships should not be divided.
As a retired social studies teacher, if my students assigned the task of drawing lines based on these directives had submitted the district map of 2011 as
their finished project, I would have certainly given them a failing grade. The new mapping technology makes this process relatively easy. But the five men who went behind closed doors failed miserably. And the courts agreed.
It is the process that needs to be fixed by February 2021, or we will have the same issues of gridlock, dysfunction and misrepresentation for another 10 years.
Predictably, the leaders of both parties are lukewarm about the idea of a citizens commission; however, our legislators are supposed to represent our views. A review of recent surveys makes it clear that the citizens want reform now. Separate surveys by Franklin and Marshall College and the University of Pittsburgh show that an independent citizens redistricting commission was preferred by 69% and 75.8% of those surveyed, respectively. Locally, Rep. Marcia Hahn, R-Northampton, surveyed her constituents last year and found that over 70% would like to see redistricting reform as well.
And at Fair Districts PA, we have collected over 65,000 petitions and 313 municipal resolutions representing 8.8 million citizens, or 68% of the voting population.
To those legislators who believe that they should continue to draw the lines because they “represent” the electorate, I say — you have had your chance and you have failed miserably by serving your party and ignoring the will of the people who put you in office. The fundamental dilemma is that districts are currently drawn by legislators picking their voters, instead of voters picking their legislators.
You do not give the keys for your new sports car to a 16-year-old with a learner’s permit. And similarly, the elegant system that is our representative democracy should not be driven by those unwilling or unable to actually represent. It is time to put the citizens behind the wheel.
Fair Districts PA is supporting two bills to change this process and create an independent citizens redistricting commission. Even though bills HB 22 (83 co-sponsors) and HB 23 (91 co-sponsors) have obtained many co-sponsors, it takes only one committee chairperson, the Speaker of the House or legislators with hundreds of amendments (from either party) to kill these bills. This happened last year, and legislators should not let this happen again.
According to Sen. Lisa Boscola, DNorthampton, the task is to change the will of the legislators to do what is right for the voters and not what necessarily benefits either party. Boscola stated, “It is going to take an upheaval of the voters to demand this change.”
I am hoping that, with honesty and humility, party leaders in Harrisburg admit that legislators drawing districts has failed and is an inherent and continuing conflict of interest.
We are asking all citizens to join us by visiting and contacting your local legislators, writing letters to the editor, attending Fair Districts PA events or asking one of our speakers to address your group.
It is time to end gerrymandering and allow an independent citizens commission, open and transparent, to conduct the redistricting process beginning in 2021. Please join us. Visit our website: www.FairDistrictsPA.com.
Mary Erdman is a public speaker for Fair Districts PA, and a vice president of the Lehigh County League of Women Voters.