Issues with the current preliminary map.
I noticed a few issues with the house draft, and the senate draft, I will be addressing these in two comments. About house districts, district 33 disenfranchises Plum Borough in North East Allegheny by pairing it with more liberal communities closer to Pittsburgh. I would think you could add Plum to one of the surrounding lean R districts and make that district a bit stronger. The current ratio in Allegheny county of lean R to lean or solid D is 5/20, when 8/20 would, in my estimation, better reflect that county that voted 39-Trump, 59-Biden. Chester county ran approximately 58/100 for Biden, and Democrats are receiving 8/9 districts. Republicans currently control 2 or 3 districts that touch the county. This intentionally flips 2 districts, which disenfranchises conservative and republican voters. Bucks County only went to Biden by about 4 points in 2020, and voted for republican judicial nominees. This map has republicans getting 3/10 house districts in bucks county. 7/11 of the currently represented in Bucks are represented by republicans. That intentionally flips at least 4 seats and shifts a fifth. It is clear that both parties keep trying to Gerrymander bucks county. The districts in the county that lean either way ought to be even. 5 and 5 sounds more like what this committee ought to be drawing if it wants to get politics out of redistricting. Delaware County ran 62/100 for Biden. All of its new districts lean democrat, when republicans currently hold two of the districts that touch the county (shared with Chester). This is a definite disenfranchisement, removing any republican voices from that county at the state and federal level, according to the new maps. As it stands, in the draft, out of the many, many districts in Philly and the suburban counties: Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery, republicans receive 6. That number is not an accurate representation of the region. Finally, I do have an issue about my community. The current map splits part of Murrysville and Delmont between the 55th and 56th districts. Murrysville should be kept whole, and Delmont ought to be with it if possible, because our communities are very intertwined, are currently represented together, and should stay represented together.