December 13, 2021 – Emily Scott, Public News Service (PA)
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania House Republicans have revealed a preliminary congressional district map, and although groups are happy to see it was drawn by a citizen, some are concerned the process lacked transparency.
The map was created by Lehigh County’s Amanda Holt, a former Republican county commissioner. The Princeton Gerrymandering Project found the map offers seven districts safe for Republicans and five safe for Democrats, with five others being competitive.
Khalif Ali, executive director of Common Cause Pennsylvania, said the map in its current form does not allow for a community-level dive, making it harder for residents to provide feedback.
“We don’t have the underlying shapefiles,” Ali explained. “We have no way again to evaluate whether and how this map divides communities of color. Particularly in Philadelphia, Allegheny County, Lancaster, Dauphin, York, all those counties are really relevant when we’re talking about this question of racial equity and adhering to the Voting Rights Act.”
The House State Government Committee plans to vote on the map today, with a full House vote likely in January. Rep. Seth Grove, R-York, the committee chair, said in a statement Holt’s map was “a historic step forward in transparency and good government.”
Susan Gobreski, board director for government policy for the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania, said a single person’s map cannot accurately represent the interests of all Pennsylvanians.
Gobreski contended the maps should include comments made online and from 12 redistricting hearings held across the state.
“What we would be looking for is for the Legislature to look at the multiple ways that they got input, including map suggestions, including testimony,” Gobreski outlined. “To give weight to the factors that people are looking at, and put those factors together to create a good map.”
The Department of State has asked for finalized maps by Jan. 24.
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