Redistricting

What's Redistricting?

Every ten years after the federal census, states are required to redraw the boundaries of their congressional and state legislative districts to ensure they remain equal in population. Each state has a different way of redistricting, and in Pennsylvania, congressional boundaries are determined by the General Assembly while state House and Senate districts are drawn by a five-member bipartisan commission. See Ballotpedia's primer on redistricting for an overview of the redistricting process in states across the country. For more on Pennsylvania, see this 101 guide by the nonpartisan Fair Districts PA coalition.

Gerrymandering: Drawing Crooked Lines

In many states including Pennsylvania, the redistricting process has proven highly vulnerable to gerrymandering, when districts are redrawn to give an advantage to certain parties, office holders or constituencies in elections. The consequences are numerous, including uncompetitive elections and diminished (or unfairly increased) influence of certain voters, all of which can contribute to political gridlock.

The Committee of Seventy urges voters across the state to draw their own maps through Draw the Lines PA and support Fair Districts PA in its work to fight for fairness and transparency in Pennsylvania's redistricting process. We are honored that our President and CEO David Thornborough was asked to chair the Pennsylvania Redistricting Reform Commission and has been serving since 2018. Visit drawthelinespa.org to learn how you can participate in reform and follow DTL on Facebook and Twitter.