Please revise the house district for Camp Hill PA
As as resident of Camp Hill I urge the commission to revise the proposed Pennsylvania State House map. The drawing of districts will have a significant impact on which party controls the legislature for the next decade. As it currently stands with the proposed State House, State Senate and U.S. Congressional maps, Camp Hill will certainly have three all new representatives. While the changes to the Congressional map paint a more nuanced picture with Camp Hill moving out of Scott Perry's district and into one representing most of upper Dauphin, Perry and western Cumberland counties, our new State House district is made up in majority by the city of Harrisburg. The new State Senate and US House seats remain largely suburban in nature while the State House seat is majority urban with very different needs and interests than Camp Hill. The nonpartisan Princeton University Gerrymandering Project has given the proposed State House map a failing grade because the vast majority of districts are "safe" for partisans. This means very little competition over ideas and values. Conservatives are happy to compete on issues and values in balanced districts not drawn to favor one party over the other. It's important to note that the commission chairman Mark Nordenberg, who is the deciding vote, chose this map before it received a F for lack of competitiveness. He must be urged to reconsider blatant gerrymanders, as exemplified by our district, which is drawn solely to disenfranchise a local population in order to benefit one party over the other! The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania determines the criteria to be used by the Reapportionment Commission to redraw the State House map. In article 2, section 16 states: "Unless absolutely necessary no county, city, incorporated town, borough, township or ward shall be divided in forming either a senatorial or representative district". The proposed House district violates the law by needlessly dividing Cumberland County, Dauphin County and the City of Harrisburg. Competitive and balanced districts can be very simply drawn entirely within Cumberland County and Dauphin County and avoid "safe" intentionally gerrymandered partisan districts. In perverting the intent of the state constitution, the new map also disenfranchises the emerging hispanic population in the state which accounts for the entirety of Pennsylvania's population growth since 2010. Rather than allowing this constituency the ability to create their own balanced political identity, illegitimate gerrymandering far too often shoehorns hispanic citizens into "safe" partisan districts. While not written into Pennsylvania law there are two redistricting principals recognized and codified nationwide as resulting in fair, just and lawful legislative divisions. Preservation of communities of interest: Geographical areas, such as neighborhoods of a city or regions of a state, where the residents have common political interests that do not necessarily coincide with the boundaries of a political subdivision, such as a city or county. Keeping the communities of the inner west shore intact in a balanced and competitive district follows this principal. Preservation of cores of prior districts: This refers to maintaining districts as previously drawn, to the extent possible. This leads to continuity of representation. The new map makes no attempt to minimize the disruption of radical change to the legislative map. Recognizing the hardship that Camp Hill would have all new state and federal representation would demonstrate adherence to this principal. The text also states districts "shall be composed of compact and contiguous territory". While these are reapportionment principals are somewhat subjective, the new 103rd district clearly violates the spirit of this language by crossing the Susquehanna River and requiring residents on I81 to pass through a different district to reach other parts of their own district. By incorporating Susquehanna Township into a Dauphin County based district including Harrisburg, all constitutional requirements would be met. I urge Reapportionment Commission Chairman Nordenberg to revise the district containing Camp Hill and neighboring communities!