Gov. Wolf Proposes Guidelines For Redistricting In PA

Norristown PA

29 November, 2021

10:36 AM

Description

PENNSYLVANIA — Gov. Tom Wolf has announced a series or recommendations which his administration hopes will guide the coming congressional redistricting negotiations in Pennsylvania. The guidelines come as state lawmakers prepare to consider new proposals in the coming days and weeks for what future state legislative maps should look like. States typically undergo the process of redistricting once a decade to determine the boundaries of state legislative and U.S. House of Representatives districts. "Our commonwealth and our nation were founded on the ideals that voters freely select their own elected leaders, not the opposite way around," Gov. Wolf said in a statement. "The congressional districts that will be drawn by the General Assembly are key to that process." A bipartisan group of legislators is charged with creating these proposals, although the legislature is under Republican control. Gov. Wolf will have the ability to veto any proposal that comes to his desk. The recommendations touted by the governor come from a six-person Redistricting Advisory Council which he formed back in September. Among the guidelines: Each district should be as nearly equal in population as practicableAll territory within a district should connect to the rest of the district Maintain communities of interestPennsylvania is actually set to lose one congressional seat following the 2022 midterms, as it's 18 congressional seats will be reduced to 17. This is due to the latest counts from the U.S. Census Bureau. Pennsylvania is one of seven states that will lose a seat due to a declining population.The practice of gerrymandering, the redrawing of congressional districts into odd shapes often to favor the ruling party, has been used egregiously in Pennsylvania in the past. The state remains one of the most gerrymandered in the nation. The process of redrawing the congressional map is slightly different than that of the state legislative map. While the Pennsylvania General Assembly is in charge of the congressional proposals, which must ultimately be signed by Gov. Wolf, the state legislative map is determined by a five person commission that includes the Republican House and Senate Majority Leaders and the Democratic House and Senate Minority Leaders, along with a fifth "tiebreaker" from outside of the legislature: the former head of the University of Pittsburgh law school, Mark Nordenburg. The entire process has long been the subject of intense debate, particularly following a 2018 congressional redrawing which was ultimately ruled unconstitutional by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The Court then ordered a new map to be drawn essentially following the principles listed above. Fair Districts PA, a nonprofit group advocating for redistricting, have pushed for state lawmakers to be more transparent in the process. They argue that ending gerrymandering is not just about absurdly drawn districts that are not contiguous on a map. It's a process which they say keeps too many areas "safe" seats for one party or another, which in turn effectively puts state legislators in charge of who will be elected next, not voters. They blame the culture of divisiveness and lack of legislative action in Harrisburg on poorly drawn maps. "Lots of us came to #redistricting through frustration with school funding. Others wondered why reasonable gun laws never get a vote," the group shared in a recent social media post. "Still others with concerns about pipeline safety, lead @ asbestos in schools, living wage, PA's faltering economy." Other guiding principles set forth by the governor's advisory committee include: Provide geographic compactness unless dispersion is required to advance another positive districting principlePrioritize fewer subdivision splits unless necessary to preserve a cohesive–and clearly identified–community of interestConsider whether the Voting Rights Act requires the creation of proposed majority-minority districtsComposition of the congressional delegation should be proportional to statewide voter preferenceResponsive to changing voter preferenceThe General Assembly's proposed map should include an explanation of specific decisions, such as the communities of interest and how they were defined and the factors that led to the creation of a majority-minority districts. The legislative maps must be negotiated within a 90-day timeframe that began on Oct. 25. The new congressional maps, meanwhile, must be submitted by Jan. 24.