Renew Your Efforts for Redistricting Reform

From Fair Districts PA (http://www.fairdistrictspa.com):

Although our efforts to get a bill passed to amend the PA State Constitution were not successful, there are many things to feel good about. SB22, although amended, passed the Senate and got as far as the House. We were told by many that we would NEVER get that far, but we did. We also raised awareness and a recent Franklin and Marshall poll found that 64% of Pennsylvanians are in favor of an independent citizens redistricting committee! That is pretty awesome, especially considering many people had no clue what Gerrymandering was at the beginning of 2017! A job well done! But now we must renew our efforts and move forward. As it stands now, the priorities are:

1. Make this an election issue. Raise awareness and educate voters about candidate positions on redistricting reform and an independent citizen redistricting commission. Tell people about our Know Before You Vote page on the Fair Districts PA website. Click Here for the direct link. Attend town halls and events and ask candidates their positions and what they will do to help achieve reform.
2. Concentrate on Congressional District reform. This does not require a Constitutional amendment and can be done with a bill. We will continue to advocate for an independent citizens commission and take the best of SB22, HB 2402, the original HB 722 and other knowledge gained.
3. Obtain strict guidelines and rules for creating state legislative districts. We will be looking at ways to do this and bills that can be passed to achieve more transparency and impartiality.

KNOW BEFORE YOU VOTE

A great tool to research the candidates’ positions and voting history (if incumbent) on redistricting reform is the Know Before You Vote page Click Here on the Fair Districts PA website that was mentioned earlier. Although some candidates have not responded yet, the page will continually be updated with information as more candidates reply to the Fair Districts PA questionnaire. Please continue to check as the election draws closer.