House Dist. 194 Plus Comments Re: Rural Counties
Thank you Legislative Reapportionment Commission (LRC) for promoting fair voting practices in Pennsylvania. I am pleased to see that the 194th House district in Philadelphia will no longer be crossing over the Schuylkill River into Montgomery County under your plan. The two counties have a different character and different populations. While I agree that the significant growth in population for Philadelphia and its collar counties warrant a shift in the numbers of House members from rural to suburban and urban counties of the State, I am concerned that the residents of rural counties will continue to lack resources needed for an adequate standard of living. Some large rural counties in the State have only one pharmacy. Small rural hospitals have been completely overrun during COVID, and small towns with grocery and hardware stores, adequate schools and library services have all but disappeared.