Oct 18, 2017 2 min read

I have voted since 1969 but have not been aware of processes at the state level regarding drawing voting district lines. Ignorance is no excuse.

It will soon be time for another census (2020) after which new voting districts lines will be drawn. The current constitution rules allow our representatives to be involved in this process. The districts were to be kept compact, but over time, the representatives managed to reach out into other counties and other existing districts to pull people into their ‘new’ districts that would be beneficial to them. Lines were drawn relative to voter registration information rather than population. Some new districts look like amoebas now and have essentially stacked the deck against one party or the other.

Every 10 years, this can happen. Your representative is picking his or her own constituents rather than the voters selecting their representatives. Pennsylvania is one of the top three gerrymandered/manipulated states.

Our state constitution needs to be changed to make districts fair again. Ask your representatives to support Pennsylvania Senate Bill 22 (and its companion, House Bill 722) which would establish an independent commission made up of 11 citizens to draw both legislative and congressional districts. Pennsylvanians, take back control of your voting districts so we can be represented a fairly after the next 2020 census. The constitution has to be changed before that and requires a multiple step process. Let us not sleep through this one. Start the process now in 2018.

Janice Gottschalk

Waynesburg