Supplemental Testimony for Rep Emily Kinkead
Chairman Nordenberg, Leaders Benninghoff, Costa, McClinton, and Ward: As a supplement to the testimony that I offered on Thursday, January 6, 2022, regarding keeping the communities of the northern North Side of Pittsburgh together (Brighton Heights, Observatory Hill, Summer Hill, and Northview Heights), I wanted to add the following analysis: I understand that a significant motivation in drawing these maps is to ensure that communities of color have adequate representation, as required by the Voting Rights Act. As currently drawn, the 19th House Legislative District has a 37.50% Black population. The map proposed by Reps. Gaydos, Kulik, and Ortitay and myself proposes to move 6 precincts of the City of Pittsburgh out of the 19th District and put them into the 20th District (26-05, 26-06, 26-12, 26-13, 26-14, and 26-15). Moving these precincts would cause a drop in the Black population of District 19 of only 0.15% - taking it from 37.50% to 37.35%. I understand that moving these precincts from the 19th District into the 20th District would cause the 19th District to have a population that is too low to be within the deviation standards. I do not purport to draw any maps. That is the job of the LRC. However, I would like to demonstrate one option that may be available to the Commission that would still allow the 19th District to be in compliance with VRA requirements and which would not cause a cascade of changes in other districts. Mt. Oliver Borough, currently located in the 36th District per the preliminary maps, has a population of 3,394 with a Black population of 1,464 or 43.13%. If all 4 precincts of Mt. Oliver were moved into the 19th District, thus avoiding a municipal split, the population deviation of both the 19th and 36th Districts would fall within the acceptable 10% range and the Black population of the 19th District would be 37.19%.