This is the first in a series of articles about the Pennsylvania Constitution and efforts of the Citizens Redistricting Commission to amend the constitution to improve the system for drawing congressional districts and put the responsibility in the hands of Pennsylvania citizens.
Could Pennsylvania’s legislative districts be redrawn before the next US Census in 2030, in order to benefit one political party over another and influence upcoming elections?
That practice is called gerrymandering.
This column, Civics Lesson, is intended to educate readers about the workings of our state government and what is in our Pennsylvania Constitution.
Today there is lots of talk about how Pennsylvanians should be taught more civics. The gerrymandering of state legislatures is in the news as various state governors have reopened the redistricting process in their states, that is, the drawing of legislative districts lines. Could this happen in Pennsylvania?
In the next couple weeks, we are going to explore the redistricting process, as defined in our state constitution and the “undemocratic problem of gerrymandering”, (according to past U.S. President Ronald Reagan), associated with that specific process.
In addition, we will explore a solution strongly supported by 50+% of Tioga County municipalities and 70+% statewide to our ongoing gerrymandering problem by examining the Citizens Redistricting Commission, as stated in the current PA House Bill 31 and PA Senate Bill 131.
Finally, we will look at the only process available for Pennsylvanians to amend or change our state constitution. Our major reference in these series of articles will be our current Pennsylvania constitution. Specifically, we will examine sections of Article 1 and Article 2. You can read it online, ask state Rep. Clint Owlett or Sen. Gene Yaw for a copy or check with your local library.
The 2011 Congressional map (see illustration) was among the most distorted in the nation, yielding a guaranteed outcome of 13 Republican seats to five Democratic seats, even when Pennsylvanians reelected a Democratic U.S. Senator by nearly nine points and reelected a Democratic president by more than five points in the same election. (RedMap Summary Report).
Janet Miles Gyekis is a long time resident of Tioga County. She has lived in four countries and a First Nations reservation where she experienced their different systems of governance. She is passionate about fair, responsible, and non-partisan government in Pennsylvania and the United States.