Redistricting comments
The Legislative Reapportionment Commission's House map attempts to correct gerrymandering that systematically over-favored and over-represented Republicans in Pennsylvania. It is an improvement over the previous map by leveling the playing field. The map still skews 3% in the favor of Republicans, and yet, Republican legislators are calling it “extreme partisan gerrymander”. Something isn’t a partisan gerrymander because there is an increase in districts that will vote Democratic when Republicans have been skewing districts for decades. It is an embarrassment to hear legislators fighting against more accurate representative Pennsylvania elections. While the LRC map is a positive step forward, it falls short in keeping communities of interest together and increasing Latinx representation. The Latinx community has fueled population growth in our state yet their representation is suppressed by these maps. Over 1 million Pennsylvanians are of Latinx descent, 12% of our population, yet state government fails to represent them. As a Pennsylvania voter, I expect my elected officials to protect the right of Pennsylvanians to exercise their right to vote. I ask all legislators to find ways to protect communities of interest and accurately represent minority populations in both the Senate and House maps. Thank you for considering my comments.