I wholeheartedly support reforming Pennsylvania’s redistricting process and implementing an independent redistricting commission to create districts which will truly reflect the makeup of the electorate, rather than the wishes of power-hungry Harrisburg politicians. Allowing the majority party in the state legislature to draw the district maps is a case of letting the fox run the henhouse, with unscrupulous incumbents being given free rein to put their own best interests above those of the people whom they are supposed to represent.

 

If elected, I will do everything that I can to make a redistricting system for Pennsylvania which ensures that the maps are written in a fair and honest matter, devoid of political influence or ambition.

 

For years our region has seen how partisan gerrymandering has permitted incumbent politicians to subvert voters’ interests. Local voters may recall the “Greenwood Gash” which tore Upper Moreland and Upper Dublin into pieces and the goofy-looking 7th District that wandered from Upper Dublin to Lancaster County through a series of twists and turns that was breathtaking.  And, Upper Dublin has the distinction of being the smallest municipality in Pennsylvania ever to be divided into three State House districts (and it used to be divided into four districts). 

 

Faced with a proposal giving voters a real chance of fairly drawn districts, all of the GOP members of the House State Government Committee GOP, chaired by the infamous Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, voted to strip out the Fair DistrictsPA language and to insert language maintaining GOP control over the process. 

 

Given the super partisan GOP leadership in the Legislature and its leadership on the critical State Government committee, the only way of assuring that such a perversion of the redistricting process does not happen is by ending GOP control of the State Legislature.