Senate map dilutes voting power of the people
I live in Southeast Pennsylvania, north of Pittsburgh and I am speaking out against the malapportionment and vote dilution caused by the inequitable distribution of population in the current Senate maps. All Pittsburgh districts and many districts in southwest and central PA are well below the ideal population, while districts in Philadelphia and other Southeast PA counties deviations far above that number. In effect, the map as drawn dilutes the voting power of our fastest growing regions and maintains voting power in regions that have lost population. Despite a resolution providing for reallocation of prison data and despite significant population shifts from North Central to Southeast PA, overall representation in the proposed map would not shift or become more reflective of the PA population. Most districts that contain prisons now have population deviations - populations below the ideal senate size - even greater than their prison populations. As a concerned resident of PA, I am speaking out against the common practice of prison gerrymandering as a way to dilute minority voting populations in the state. The proposed Senate map does little to expand minority representation. I do not live in Lehigh Valley; as a Latinx person however, I strongly urge to keep Allentown intact in a district drawn to maximize Latino participation in Lehigh County. I do not live in Philadelphia; as a minority however, I strongly urge for the creation of an additional majority minority district. The uncomfortable silence from PA senators with regards to the current Senate map as drawn suggests that the proposed map protects incumbents well and does nothing to create a more balanced legislative chamber. Do better PA lawmakers!