END GERRYMANDERING IN PENNSYLVANIA

Tell your state legislators to end gerrymandering now. This election season, demand to know your candidates’ position on the practice; and sign our petition demanding that it end!

The current dysfunction in Congress shows what happens when a block of legislators is willing to jeopardize the good of the country for the sake of an agenda from one extreme of the political spectrum or the other. GERRYMANDERING is the culprit that allows that obdurate block to stay in office. This practice of drawing legislative districts in odd shapes to consist overwhelmingly of voters from one political party or the other creates safe havens where Republicans need only fear a challenge from the right, and Democrats need only fear a challenge from the left. As candidates respond by moving away from the middle, the forces of moderation, which might shape solutions to problems acceptable to all, lose their voice.

It’s high time for every one of us to demand change in the way our legislative districts are drawn – and legislation to do just that has been introduced in Pennsylvania. When passed, Senate Bill 361 and House Bill 1843 will take responsibility for redistricting away from the political party in power and place it in the hands of a bureau charged with drawing legislative districts according to specific guidelines. One of those states: “no district shall be drawn for the purpose of favoring a political party…” Tell our State legislators, and our candidates for State office, to adopt those bills!
Government’s responsibility is to govern for all, not to cater to minorities at the political extremes.