Northampton County - Lehigh Valley
The proposed SENATE Districts 14 and 18 combine both city, suburban, boroughs and rural areas. Senate District 40 no longer represents the suburban and rural voters of northern Northampton County. The urban voices will outnumber the rural voices. This negates the voting capabilities and interests of the suburban, borough and rural residents of Lehigh and Northampton County and ensures a stronger influence of the urban areas of Bethlehem, Easton, and Allentown. This has a strong suggestion of “gerrymandering” by minimizing the voices of rural PA voters. Propose Senate Districts 18 and 14 be redrawn horizontally where one district (18th) combines the urban districts of Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton and the northern districts above these cities be combined into the other senatorial district (14th). This would ensure that all the voters would be in districts more compatible with interests and issues related to them. It would also remove the division imposed on the citizens of Bethlehem City who as currently proposed are divided into two different senatorial districts. Recommend considering returning the former Senate 40 district voters to Senate District 40.