Regional virtual (Zoom) forums are being convened in PA’s six regions to discuss prison gerrymandering and its impact on communities throughout the commonwealth.
The meetings are free and open to the public but advance registration is required
REGISTER: Southeast PA, April 6, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Details and links to all events are available here.
“Many Pennsylvanians have heard of partisan gerrymandering, drawing maps for legislative and congressional districts to advantage one party over another,” notes Carol Kuniholm, Chair of FDPA. “But even communities most impacted may not have heard of prison gerrymandering. In Pennsylvania, many incarcerated people are still eligible to vote, but by PA law they’re not allowed to vote in the districts where they’re incarcerated. Yet that’s where the Census Bureau currently counts them. That means their home communities lose political power, while districts with large prisons have outsize influence in Pennsylvania elections.”
Planned regional forums will give more background on the issue and show how prison gerrymandering impacts communities in every part of Pennsylvania.
Speakers will include Robert Saleem Holbrook and John Rowland of the Abolitionist Law Center, Jenna Henry of Free the Ballot, Carol Kuniholm and Bob Leipold of Fair Districts PA, plus area residents impacted by mass incarceration and prison gerrymandering. While each forum will include speakers and information specific to the region, anyone unable to attend the forum in their own region can register for one of the others to learn more about this important issue.
These regional meetings are hosted by Fair Districts PA, the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania, Decarcerate PA, the Abolitionist Law Center, Straight Ahead, Free the Ballot, Urban League of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Council of Churches Advocacy and the ACLU – Pennsylvania.
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