Citizen Map Proposal, Final (MG)
View Map on Dave's Redistricting (https://davesredistricting.org/join/aee5b6ce-1749-499b-b71f-11230e9ff88b)
Happy new year! This will be my final submission for our state senate districts. I am saddened to have heard that the preliminary map, which favors Republicans even more than the current map, was drawn explicitly as incumbent protection. I disagree strongly with the notion that that produces a fair map that will result in good government. I have edited my proposal with changes made in the preliminary map to produce this fair map. I strongly encourage it to be the map to be passed. Trump wins 26 districts in 2016, and Biden wins 27 in 2020. It provides statewide winners with the majority of seats, and has many more competitive districts than the preliminary map. Minority representation is also bolstered: There are four black majority seats, like in the preliminary map, but also a Latino-opportunity seat in District 2, where 44% of the CVAP is Hispanic. This bolsters Latino voices in the PA Senate. This map better represents communities, as I kept Allentown and Bethlehem separate while still undoing gerrymandering, and I did NOT split Lancaster City, as the preliminary map does. My 13th district, which is the one I hope for the most to be created, is very fair and gives Democrats an opportunity to win a seat in Lancaster County. I also undid the split of Centre county that the Prelim. map does, as this is a poor choice to represent the county, as well as keeping Cumberland county whole and giving Luzerne County a seat of its own. These choices better reflect the counties, instead of dicing them up for other districts. Overall, this map is simply better than the preliminary map, as it is fairer. Partisan fairness is what we Pennsylvanians want most of all, and the preliminary map lets us down on that front. Please change it to make it fairer and disregard incumbents.