Gerrymandering/Redistricting

Recommendations include ‘A final legislative district map shall not, when considered on a Statewide basis, unduly favor or disfavor any political party, candidate, or incumbent.’

The first of the hearings in Harrisburg will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, and feature presentations from advocacy leaders and experts including Common Cause of Pennsylvania Executive Director Khalif Ali, Fair District PA Chair Carol Kuniholm and Temple University’s Lee Hachadoorian.

Khalif Ali, executive director of Common Cause Pennsylvania, recommended that lawmakers start from a blank map, disregarding any existing boundaries and building their own based on public testimony. It might take longer to create, he said, “but we believe that the time spent will result in a map that will be far more representative to the people of the Commonwealth.” Could this practice disadvantage current incumbents? Sure, but protecting incumbents shouldn’t be the goal of redistricting, Mr. Ali said.

"We believe that redistricting should be fair, accessible, and politically neutral. Most importantly, we believe that to be successful, a redistricting process must intentionally seek to ensure that every Pennsylvanian, regardless of zip code, race, ethnicity, first language, or profession has an equal opportunity to elect a representative that shares their values and lived experience," Common Cause Pennsylvania Executive Director Khalif Ali will tell the Committee.

“We look forward to working with members of both parties — and, most importantly, Black, Latinx, Asian/Pacific Islander, Indigenous, and other communities of color who have historically been left out of the redistricting process — to ensure that everyone in Pennsylvania has an equal opportunity to be represented by someone who shares their values and lived experience,” Executive Director Khalif Ali said. “As part of that work, we will be supporting communities in presenting testimony and drawing maps that allow them to tell their story.”

'We commend the Pennsylvania General Assembly, and particularly Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff, Rep. Wendy Thomas, and Chairman Seth Grove on their commitment today to a transparent, accessible, and participatory congressional redistricting process.'