Lancaster County
Central Lancaster County is a prime example of gerrymandering. The partisan representation of the 14 central Lancaster County communities is 42.1 % Democrat and 40.3% Republican, yet Republican gerrymandering limits the region to one safe Democratic district (Lancaster City plus parts of Manheim Twp and Lancaster Twp) and four safe Republican districts. Most egregious is Lancaster Township, with a population of only 18,000, which includes nine Democratic precincts split among four different House districts! As a relatively small community, Lancaster Township should all be in one (or at most two) suburban legislative district. It's longest suburban borders are with Millersville and East Hempfield. Apart from Lancaster City, most of the remaining 13 (mostly similar in character) municipalities can be consolidated into two highly competitive legislative districts. Specifically, Manheim Township, the county's largest township in population (and slightly Republican in registration) but smaller than a full legislative district, can be combined with any of its contiguous suburban municipalities. Lancaster Township, would be most suitable, since they share a police department. Instead, it is joined with Warwick Township, a completely dissimilar and largely rural community for the very obvious reason that its heavily Republican population turns a competitive district into a safe Republican district. Warwick would be better represented by any of its other neighboring rural communities. Millersville Borough is another example of outrageous gerrymandering. It is a small suburban college town, slightly Democratic, and it is included in the 100th District - one of the most rural districts in the state! It cannot possibly be well represented by someone with a district that is 85% rural and completely dissimilar in character and demographics. Columbia, as a residential borough, has much more in common with the neighboring suburban Hempfields than with the non-contiguous rural Donegals and Conoy. Central Lancaster County represents a golden opportunity for the Commission to undo an audacious example of gerrymandering and create fair, compact, highly competitive districts of similar communities of interest.