Politics & Government

Redrawing Pennsylvania: Congressional Redistricting Hearing

Speakers emphasized the importance of transparency and fairness as the new map lines are drawn to avoid redistricting based on politics.

Officials from across Western Pennsylvania gathered Thursday in Cranberry for a  designed to receive testimony and collect public input on realignment after results from the U.S. Census.

Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry, who is House State Government Committee Majority Chairman; and Senate State Government Chairman Sen. Chuck McIhinney, R-Bucks, hosted the two-hour hearing at the township’s . Joining them was a panel of state House and Senate government committee members.

Redistricting is a state legislative process where the boundaries of congressional and legislative districts are redrawn every 10 years based on growth to meet the constitutional requirement of one person, one vote. Because of the latest census figures -- which showed Pennsylvania not experiencing as much growth as other states across the country -- the state must cut one congressional district, which will bring its total number of seats to 18. Pennsylvania also lost two congressional seats in the 1990s.

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On Thursday, the county commissioners from across Western Pennsylvania who spoke at the meeting, including those from Crawford, Armstrong and Indiana counties, made it clear they’d prefer that the redistricting process not require the carving up of their municipalities or counties. Others asked the committee to take into account communities with similar population and socioeconomic conditions when drawing up the new map lines.

Tom Porter, of Armstrong County, noted the people in his rural county would prefer a rural representative to reflect the community.

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“I just want you to use your common sense,” he told panel members.

Speakers included Dr. Michael McDonald, an associate professor at George Mason University, and Dr. Jennifer Nicoll Victor, as assistant professor of political science at the University of Pittsburgh. Both emphasized the importance of transparency and fairness as the new map lines are drawn to avoid redistricting based on politics.

In Pennsylvania, the General Assembly passes congressional redistricting, and the governor must approve it. Metcalfe and McIhinney said legislators have not yet begun the process of drawing the new map lines. The final results should be unveiled to the public at another hearing by the end of the year, Metcalfe said.

He said the turnout at the hearings, which were not conducted during the last congressional redistricting process, pleased him. About 50 people attended the hearing on Thursday.

“I thought today was very productive,” he said.

The joint committee will conduct a hearing Tuesday in Harrisburg. The first hearing was May 12 in Philadelphia. Residents wanting to give their input on redistricting may call Metcalfe’s Harrisburg office at 717-783-1707.


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