PA House District 168
As the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, and a resident of Newtown Township, I am highly concerned about the redrawn 168th State House District. There is no community Newtown Township has closer ties with than Marple Township - with which we share the Marple Newtown School District - yet we have been separated entirely. Additionally, in the redrawn 168th, Rose Tree Media School District is split 3 ways, with the Media zip code also divided between multiple House Districts. Democratic leaders, to include Governor Wolf, have constantly repeated the need to keep communities of interest together, primarily defined by school districts, yet there's not a single community with a school district kept whole in the redrawn 168th except for Radnor, which has NEVER been included in a House District with Newtown Square, Edgmont, or Media in Pennsylvania legislative history. One can't help but notice the partisan effects these redrawn district borders will have. We constantly hear the LRC harp on the importance of competitive districts in a vibrant democracy and in ensuring responsive governance - rightly so. As the district is CURRENTLY drawn, it is exactly that - a paragon of competitiveness. The current 168th is extremely competitive. President Biden and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton both won the district, yet Senator Toomey and Rep. Quinn both have won the district as well. The last two state house elections have come down to 450 and 800 vote margins. The new district would create a district that Democrats would have a 23-point advantage in - again, primarily because of the addition of heavily Democratic Radnor, which has never been in the district before. The redrawn 168th appears to be more of an attempt to create a safe Democratic district than to preserve the swing, competitive characteristics it currently possesses. I sincerely hope the redistricting commission will grapple with these sensible concerns seriously. Competitive state house districts shouldn't be the exception - they should be the norm. Keep the 168th competitive, reflective of the concerns of communities of interest kept whole, and an embodiment of the principles elected leaders seem so eager to talk about, yet much too hesitant to actually put into practice.