Now is the time to act on gerrymandering legislation

The Legislative and Congressional Redistricting Act (HB 22/ SB 222 – LACRA) will, if passed, prevent partisan gerrymandering of our congressional legislative maps.

LACRA does not change who draws the maps, but it does change how the maps are drawn. LACRA will enforce strict transparency and criteria measures, which will protect our congressional and state legislative maps from being gerrymandered to favor one political party over another.
The time to act is now. If the legislature waits until the fall session to pass LACRA, the public transparency requirements might not allow our maps to be completed in time, resulting in new districts not being in place for the 2022 election. Responsibility for drawing the maps would then fall to the Pa. Supreme Court.

Nearly 70 percent of Pennsylvania voters want redistricting reform measures to be in place. To date, nearly 200 legislators have scheduled meetings and have taken the time to listen to constituents share concerns about gerrymandered districts.

Sadly, our legislator, Sen. Bob Mensch (R-24), has refused to meet with his constituents about this important issue. He has told us that he will not meet while the bill is still in committee. As majority caucus chair, Sen. Mensch should be representing his constituents by using his influence now to help push SB 222 toward a vote in the State Government Committee.

Anne J. Allen
Milford Township
Pa. Senate District 24

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