From Fair Districts PA (http://www.fairdistrictspa.com):
Over a month ago we said we would continue the work for fair redistricting, asking the PA General Assembly to take action in this session. At the same time, we wanted to be respectful of the challenges facing our state legislators in the face of immediate, unexpected health, policy and economic concerns.
We’ve been watching the daily changes to the legislative calendar and are very aware that time is running out for an independent citizens commission for Pennsylvania’s congressional and legislative redistricting process in 2021. Will our PA Legislature give those bills a vote?
They may say there’s no time due to the onslaught of Covid 19 and social distancing, but for weeks now the House State Government Committee has been voting on bills introduced just days, sometimes minutes, before. Some of those bills are in needed response to the pandemic and the challenge of holding an election during social distancing. Some are partisan attempts to shift the balance of power between the state Legislature and the Administration. Some are attempts to push the agendas of party leaders while public attention is focused elsewhere.
Meanwhile, House Bills 22 and 23 have languished since introduction on April 11, 2019, more than a year ago. In fact, the PA House of Representatives has seen dozens of redistricting reform bills across the past two decades. None have been given a fair committee vote.
Counties and municipalities across the state have weighed in heavily on this issue, with 381 governing bodies, including 23 county commissions, declaring their support for fair redistricting practices. These elected bodies, with both Republican and Democratic majorities, represent over nine million Pennsylvanians—70% of the estimated population of the state.
Voters have also done their best to make their voices heard. Over 100,000 Pennsylvania citizens have signed a petition in support of an independent redistricting commission. In multiple polls and surveys, respondents from across the state and across the political spectrum have stated clearly: legislators should not be drawing their own district lines. An overwhelming majority of respondents (over ⅔ in every recent poll) want an independent commission.
House State Government Committee Chair Garth Everett promised further attention to this issue after the one hearing convened in September, 2019, more than seven months ago. If his committee has time to vote on non-emergency measures just days after introduction, surely they can find time and courage to vote on bills discussed, reviewed and strongly supported by county commissioners, township supervisors, advocacy organizations and tens of thousands of Pennsylvania voters.
The House of Representatives was formed to give voice to the people of Pennsylvania and to guard our right to alter and reform our government. We ask our legislators to defend that right and insist that House Bills 22 and 23 and Senate Bills 1022 and 1023 be given a vote before the summer recess.
How can you help?
Know Before You Vote – contact your candidates!
Candidates need to know their voters want a fair, transparent and accountable redistricting process. We’ve emailed all candidates three times asking them to complete our two-question survey. Head over to our Know Before You Vote page to get the results. If your candidates have not responded – call or email them, tell them this issue is important to you and ask them to complete our survey.
Write a Letter to the Editor. Call attention to candidates who have responded and those who haven’t, or ask why our bills have not been given a vote.
Watch and share our six-part Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN) series, Let’s End Gerrymandering. Half-hour programs are airing on PCN (Pennsylvania Cable Network) Sundays at 2:30 pm and 5:30 pm through May 31. All episodes are available here for free after they air on PCN. Check your cable provider listings for the PSN channel.
Order Postcards and send them to your district legislators and members of both House and Senate State Government Committees. Postcards are available free and can be ordered here. DIrections about where to send them will be included.
Submit a video for our Gerry-Explainer Video Contest or remind someone you know who might want to enter. The deadline is May 15.
Thanks for your continued support for this important reform.
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