This morning Linda and I took part in a rally in Harrisburg on behalf of “Fair Districts PA,” a group supporting efforts to end partisan gerrymandering in Pennsylvania. About 100 people filled the steps inside the Rotunda, where we heard speeches from Democrats and Republicans explaining why gerrymandering leads to voter cynicism, splits communities of interest, increases partisanship in legislatures, and undermines democracy.
We took our big poster of the map of the congressional district in the Philadelphia which has been labeled “Goofy Kicking Donald Duck,” because that is what it looks like.
The rally was in support of HB 722 and SB 22. Both bills would set up a non-partisan commission to draw the legislative district lines, both have Democratic and Republican co-sponsors, and both are languishing in committee because the committee chairs refuse to hold hearings.
Pennsylvania is among the worst gerrymandered states in the Union. The legislature also can’t pass a budget. This legislature is way beyond dysfunctional, and yet people keep sending their incumbents back to Harrisburg because they show up at Eagle Scout award ceremonies and are “nice guys.”
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