Clock is ticking
Legislative redistricting process starts
The clock has started ticking on the Legislative Redistricting Commission to overhaul district boundaries based on the 2010 Census.
The Census numbers are intended to result in the redrawing of state House and Senate districts based on state population shifts. Done fairly, the redistricting serves to legitimize the size and population represented by given legislative districts.
Done for political purposes, the redistricting can be a not-so-subtle means of preserving the fiefdoms of elected officials. The two Democratic leaders on the commission already have warned that 129 precinct boundaries in the census data refined by a hired consultant do not match the boundaries that counties have used for years.
It’s the commission’s job to determine whether those changes are legitimate and whether they have any intended, unfair impact.
We realize this suggestion may have a tooth-fairy tone to it, but would it be too much to ask that this process not become a political tool?
Williamsport Sun-Gazette