HARRISBURG, PA — Proposed redistricting maps for the PA state House and Senate have been published by Fair Districts PA and can be seen on their website FairDistrictsPA.com. The Legislative Reapportionment Commission Chair Mark Nordenberg, former Chancellor of Univ of Pittsburg School of Law, has invited Carol Kuniholm, Chair of Fair Districts PA, to Harrisburg to discuss FDPA’s proposed maps on Monday, November 15th at 4:00 p.m. The hearing will be livestreamed and recorded.
The proposed maps followed criteria recommended in HB 22 and Senate Bill 222: districts must be near equal in population, compact, contiguous, and not split counties and municipalities more than absolutely necessary. Language and racial communities sufficiently large, contiguous and politically cohesive must not be split if the effect is to dilute their voting power.
In addition, Fair Districts PA proposed maps take into account school districts where possible, considering them a community of interest.
Additionally, because Pennsylvania has a natural partisan bias due to the geography of the state, Fair Districts PA maps attempt to increase competitiveness in areas where this is possible while adhering to other criteria.
These stated criteria, when considered together, are prioritized to place constitutional requirements first with the others considered secondarily to get a better, more responsive map.
Citizens can still make their opinions known to the LRC through their portal.
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