HARRISBURG – Citizen-drawn maps of new Congressional districts for Pennsylvania were reviewed by the Senate State Government today during a public hearing, according to Senator David G. Argall (R-Berks/Schuylkill), who chaired the hearing.
“There’s no such thing as a perfect map, but I’m committed to making this redistricting process much more open and transparent than in the past” said Argall. “Gathering valuable input and hearing from the citizens of Pennsylvania is a very important part of this process.”
“I’m hopeful that by holding these public hearings, we can begin to roll back the hyper-partisan gerrymandering sins of past decades.”
The hearing focused on maps using three requirements contained in Senate Bill 222, as amended by Senator Argall earlier this year: minimal splits of counties and municipalities, equal population, and compact and contiguous territory.
Minimizing the splits of counties and municipalities is of particular importance to Schuylkill County, which has never been split into more than one Congressional district since its creation in 1811.
The committee heard testimony from David Thornburgh and Justin Villere of the Committee of Seventy’s Draw the Lines project, as well as citizen redistricting specialist Amanda Holt. The Committee also received testimony from dozens of Pennsylvania residents, which can be found on the State Government Committee’s website.
Contact: Jim Brugger
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