Comments on legislative reapportionment
I believe the new maps for the Pennsylvania House and Senate are an improvement over past maps in that they correct some of the anti-democratic tricks used to protect incumbents, and favor one party over another, here in Pennsylvania. I do believe that it is important to be sure that new maps reflect the changes in population distribution in Pennsylvania, which is still lacking in the Senate map, and proper legislative representation of People of Color, also lacking in the Senate maps. The issue of redistricting, and concern about gerrymandering, have become major issues in recent years and that trend will continue. Attempts to limit the representation of areas of the state that are growing in population may be noticed by voters in these areas, who may be less inclined to vote for candidates from any political party that promotes such limits to their representation and less inclined to vote for legislators who promote, and vote for, these limits to their representation when these legislators want to run for statewide office. Attempts to limit the legislative representation of People of Color may cause political backlash similar to what has happened over attempts to make it harder for People of Color to vote in many states. Such limits on minority legislative representation can hurt Pennsylvania's reputation and possibly even lead to boycotts of Pennsylvania, much as we've seen happen to other states over minority voter suppression, as many people increasingly see legislative representation of People of Color as an important civil rights issue. Pennsylvania is the Cradle of American Democracy and the site of the largest military battle in the effort to end slavery in this country, so it is imperative that the Pennsylvania Legislature continue to ensure that our Commonwealth is a beacon for democratic representation for all of its residents and voters.