Fair Districts PA Invites Public to "End Gerrymandering in Pennsylvania"

On Thursday, February 21, at 7:15 pm, there will a meeting at Upper Dublin High School to discuss the current method used to divide the state into electoral districts. The meeting will feature a presentation called "Let's End Gerrymandering in Pennsylvania.”

The presentation and talk will be led by Carol Kuniholm, chair of Fair Districts PA. Kuniholm is an independent voter who discusses how the current system for dividing Pennsylvania into districts does not make for fair representation in the legislature. "The problem is the politicians are deciding the lines and they're doing it in ways that benefit themselves," she said. The goal of Fair Districts PA is to put the division of districts into the hands of the voters, not politicians who sometimes find ways to divide communities so their votes don't count.

Every ten years, after the census has been taken, every state redivides its electoral constituencies to reflect changes in population. When a state like Pennsylvania is gerrymandered, however, the borders of the districts rarely reflect shifts in population because neighborhoods are split up. Drawing lines across neighborhoods and separating like-minded citizens of similar backgrounds so they are in separate districts lessens the power of a community's vote, preventing true representation of certain districts. Moreover, this method of dividing neighborhoods makes it more difficult to introduce legislation that could benefit certain jurisdictions and may favor one political party over the other, even changing the outcome of a statewide or national election.

Gerrymandering is not a problem specific to any one political party. Both Republicans and Democrats have done it to maintain a stronghold in their communities. Fair Districts PA is working to change the way Pennsylvania redraws the maps so everyone will benefit. The goal of the meeting – and of several other such gatherings that have been held statewide over the past several months – is to educate the electorate about the methods used to draw up districts and how the public can better engage in the process when it is next undertaken in 2020. After an informational presentation, there will be a Q&A period, as well as time to meet with Fair Districts PA volunteers and learn more about the organization.

Doors open at 7:00; the meeting starts at 7:15. Upper Dublin High School is located at 800 Loch Alsh Avenue in Fort Washington.

Fair Districts PA is a coalition of citizens and organizations working to ensure that legislative and congressional district maps are drawn in a fair and transparent way so that voters choose their legislators, rather than legislators choosing their voters. With leadership from League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania and Common Cause PA, groups from across the state have endorsed strong redistricting principles. More information about the effort can be found at the website, http://www.fairdistrictspa.com/.