LRC Testimony Solutions: Submission 578/588 et.al.

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This proposed modification to the LRC's preliminary plan amends House districts in Centre, Juniata, Lycoming, Mifflin, and Union Counties, reflecting many comments posted to the website, particularly objections to the following aspects of the LRC Draft: (1) Division of Juniata and Mifflin Counties; (2) Alleged gerrymandering of HD84 and other districts in Lycoming and Centre Counties; and (3) Division and misalignment of school districts in the Williamsport area. The affected districts are HD76, HD77, HD82, HD83, HD84, HD85, HD86, and HD171. The LRC map is otherwise intact. In response to the single issue that has attracted the most public comment, Juniata and Mifflin are reunited, to the maximum extent possible, in HD82. The many requests to reunite Montoursville with its school district (and to separate those towns from Williamsport) have also been accommodated. Contests between incumbents have been avoided, and all incumbents retain their districts. As noted in the public furor over HD84, separating Reps. Hamm and Wheeland tends to distort HD83 and HD84 by forcing awkward choices, such as placing Loyalsock in HD83. These anomalies have been mitigated somewhat, and these districts are no longer outliers. Although Jefferson and Snyder Counties are unchanged, districts that extend into those counties - HD76 and HD86 - are amended elsewhere. The three Centre/Jefferson County districts have been optimized for compactness. While each district is occupied by a single incumbent, two members - one from each party - would see their reelection prospects diminished. The Commission may wish to consider this effect. Core metrics improve slightly: DRA compactness and splitting scores each rise by a point. Indicators of partisan bias suggest these changes have a slight Democratic lean. This small effect could be offset by applying a Republican-leaning change elsewhere, e.g. https://www.redistricting.state.pa.us/comment/submission/2657 or https://www.redistricting.state.pa.us/comment/submission/2623

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