! RIGGING
S TOP VOTE
IN PA
Are you tired of partisan gridlock in Congress and the
Pennsylvania Legislature ? Do you believe that competitive
elections are essential for accountable government and
that each person’s vote should be of equal weight ?
HOW ARE ELECTIONS RIGGED?
!
Voting in elections is democracy’s system for holding the government
accountable, and the way legislative districts are redrawn every 10 years
directly affects the election of the person representing that district. The
current redistricting process, after each census, is controlled by politicians
who design districts to select the voters they can count on to vote their
way. Party leaders design the districts to optimize the chances for their
incumbents to stay in office and to disadvantage candidates of the
opposing party. As a result, competition is diminished, and
meaningful choices at the polls are virtually eliminated.
HOW IS REDISTRICTING DONE NOW?
“ G E R RY M A N D E R I N G ,
just a terrible practice
that nobody can defend
on the merits.”
Pennsylvania’s Constitution (Article II, Section
16) specifies that all state House and Senate districts
— retired Supreme Court
contain a relatively equal number of constituents; that
Justice John Paul Stevens
the shape of each district be compact and contiguous;
and that no county, municipality or ward be divided unless
absolutely necessary. Unfortunately, when districts are drawn,
these last two standards are largely ignored. The current process allows the
drawing of oddly shaped districts like the Pennsylvania 7th, which snakes
through parts of five southeastern Pennsylvania counties. The 7th is considered to be one of the most gerrymandered districts in the country.
2002
2012
HOW CAN THIS PROBLEM BE FIXED?
Amend the Pennsylvania Constitution
to require the following:
1 Assign the redrawing of Congressional and
Legislative district boundaries to an independent
redistricting commission. 2 Prohibit districts
from being drawn for the purpose of favoring
or discriminating against, a political party or
candidate. 3 Mandate strict compliance with
constitutional, well defined anti-gerrymandering
standards to be enforced by the courts.
4 Guarantee meaningful opportunities for public
input. 5 Permit redistricting just once during
each decennial census cycle, except as may be
required by court order.
"
Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District is considered
to be one of the most gerrymandered districts in the U.S.
source: PA Legislative Redistricting Commission
PA 7th Congressional District (2012)
PA 7th Congressional District (2002)
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
county lines
district footprint
• Join Fair Districts PA (www.FairDistrictsPA.com), a reform coalition that supports these goals.
• Encourage a diverse collection of organizations to join the coalition in support of reform.
• Ask your state legislator to sponsor legislation adhering to these goals and the FDPA Guiding Principles.
• Stay informed, write letters to the editor, and use social networking to educate and engage others.
• Contribute money and volunteer time to support Common Cause PA. Visit commoncause.org/pa to donate.
RE DIS TRICTIN G
RE F O RM
!
Building A Better Democracy
Common Cause / Pennsylvania
800 North 3rd Street, Suite 401, Harrisburg, PA 17102
717.232.995 1
[email protected]
www.commoncause.org/pa