Pennsylvania Redistricting & How Reapportionment affects you

[WhiteFeather]

Pennsylvania Redistricting & How Reapportionment affects you and possibly our future firearm rights

http://www.redistricting.state.pa.us/index.cfm

Lots of information on Pennsylvania Redistricting on this web site, along with the proposed changes based on population density changes in PA that have occurred in the last 10 years since the last census.

Some of you will be having new state house and senators along with new federal Rep in 2012.

Hence the reason why you should contact all the Reps about proposed legislation (not just yours) as you might not have moved but you could be redistricted and have all new Reps which you have no experience with every 10 years.

There is a 30 day window for public comment that shall expire on Nov 30, 2011 at midnight.

Some districts are being totaled reshuffled with all the boundaries are changed.

IF you have Rep that is a real skunk or ever thought about running for office you should look as this as opportunity and not a burden.

http://www.redistricting.state.pa.us/index.cfm

This site has some really cool interactive maps

Very brief outline of the results PA Redistricting & Reapportionment goals

Bear also in mind the majority party that controls the drawing of the district maps have a very large say on how this is done right now in HBG its the "R's" as they now control both houses and governorship.

PA HOUSE

The goal was to keep house districts evenly divided to the state pop average of 62,753. With the largest being district #21 in Allegheny co 64,422 and the smallest district #76 in Centre & Clinton co with 60,717 people

The PA house eliminates and RE creates 4 districts seats to reflect population losses or gains in other parts of PA

1 loss in Erie, 2 loss in Allegheny and 1 loss in Philly seat

1 new for Berks, 1 new for Lehigh, 1 new for Chester & 1 new for York county all gain a seat


PA SENATE

The goal was to keep senate districts evenly divided to the state pop average of 254,048. With the largest being district #36 in Lancaster & York co 258,927 and the smallest district #25 in Cameron, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Jefferson, McKean, Potter and Tioga co with 249,045 total people in all of these counties.


PA Senate is 1 loss (Allegheny / Westmoreland) and 1 new for (Monroe / Northampton)

Translate people that can are moving out of the big cities in living in the rural area and driving to their jobs instead of pay extra for big city government added taxes. PA lost Fed elections / influence with less congress criters due to loss or less growth of people still living in PA as well compared to other states for similar reasons.

This Redistricting change is going to pit long time elected Reps against other Reps within the same party.

So either someone is going to have to move their home back into their former district or we are in for some really interesting hot battles in primary and general election in 2012 to see who keeps their seats


IF you actually study politics along with the human factors of why some things happens in public and from behind the curtain 2012 elections are going to be full of fun and the outcome could be very negative for gun owners if we don't pay attention.


Check the link provide to see if this effects you or not


http://www.redistricting.state.pa.us/index.cfm





As to why you should care who is elected to hold office anywhere in PA consider this:

Elected Representation is based on population density in both houses, not on geography, so is it any wonder that the big cities having more people living in a small area have more elected representatives. Is it less wonder these big cities Reps dominate where everyone else money is spent, which laws are created that benefit who and why the areas outside of the cities historically have little growth or investments made to expand business opportunities outside of the cities?



Right now the elected house Reps from the counties in which the big cities of Philly & Pittsburgh are in account for approximate ¼ the size of the house now, throw in the counties of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Lancaster and York. Those 8 counties out of 67 have over half of the elected representation in the house now.


Even if you live gun friendly part of the “T” of PA, outside the big cities with your local Rep is really good on supporting the 2nd, the elected Reps from those couple of counties area as the majority can take away your rights as outlined above. Keep this representation in mind when they try the bait and switch less reps ideas vs going back to a part time legislature as a cost saving measure


Really hope some of you are learning why you need to attend the 2nd A HBG rallies, contact other Reps besides just the one you can cast ballots for, basically get actively involved in politics in whatever capacity you can other than just casting a ballot on election day.

Support for 2nd goes both ways IF you don't really care, don't ever expect someone elected in a popularity contest to care more than you do in protecting your rights.

[bluedog46]

PA in general is starting to look more conservative to me. I am keeping an eye on the state. Delaware is getting way to liberal for me

[WhiteFeather]

BIG UPDATE that happend late on Jan 25, 2012

http://www.timesleader.com/news/Divi...ting-plan.html

Yesterday at 5:05 PM

Divided Pennsylvania Supreme Court throws out legislative redistricting plan


HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A divided Pennsylvania Supreme Court is invalidating a plan to redraw district lines for seats in the state House and Senate, calling the redistricting approach "contrary to law."



The justices voted 4-3 to send the plan back to the Legislative Reapportionment Commission, and the majority said their opinion in the case would be released later.

The high court's ruling throws into disarray plans by candidates and parties for this year's General Assembly races.

The two-page order says current district lines remain in force until the commission comes up with a new plan that passes legal muster.

The commission consists of the Republican and Democratic floor leaders from the House and Senate, along with a fifth member, an appointed judge.

The plan the court threw out was opposed by Senate Democrats.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/vall.../s_778445.html

Pennsylvania Supreme Court tosses revised legislative districts

HARRISBURG -- The state Supreme Court on Wednesday overturned the Legislature's new maps for 2012 House and Senate races, leaving districts in place until a five-member commission that designed the plan fixes the court's concerns.

The 4-3 decision gave a glimmer of hope to lawmakers opposed to the changes in the Legislative Reapportionment Commission's plan.

That plan, adopted in December, merged the McKeesport-based 45th district seat of Sen. Jim Brewster, a Democrat, with the 46th Washington County district of Sen. Tim Solobay, another Democrat. It also merged the House districts of Rep. Nick Kotik, D-Coraopolis, and Rep. Jesse White, D-Cecil, and eliminated the 22nd District of former Rep. Chelsa Wagner, D-Brookline, who is now Allegheny County controller.

It's apparently the first time in modern history that the court has overturned a state legislative redistricting plan. Senate Republican and Democratic leaders said they were unaware of any such ruling under the modern reapportionment system adopted after the 1968 Constitutional Convention.

"I'm guardedly optimistic that I might have another shot," Kotik said . "It gives you a little optimism. But we'll see."

White was driving on the turnpike near Somerset when he got the news.

"I thought it was a done deal. I thought by my third term I'd seen everything. This shows I hadn't seen everything." It's still unclear whether the court will require "fixes at the edges or wholesale change," White said.

Until a new plan is developed and the high court approves, the maps developed in the last redistricting in 2001 will remain in effect. Until the court's majority opinion is issued, lawmakers won't know the scope of the court's concerns.

"There's more we don't know than we know," said Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, R-Delaware County, a commission member. "The court has remanded the plan to the commission. We don't know the reasons for the remand. We have no indication when we'll see the opinion."

"I think they need to go back to the drawing board," Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa said of the commission, which he serves on.

Costa, D-Forest Hills, declined to say whether he thought district lines would remain as they are through this year's election, but said that the court's decision to order the 2001 lines to remain in effect signaled that the court expects a drawn-out process.

"The most important thing is the court preserved the 2001 districts, and it is the 2001 districts that members will now be running in," Costa said.

Fixing the plan "could take weeks or months," Costa said. He believes public hearings on the new plan must be held as it is developed.

Costa said Brewster "was the first person I called. And he intends to run for the office -- the 45th district -- which we believe stays in Allegheny County."

Costa had filed a motion with the court stating that the plan would have been different if negotiators had known Sen. John Pippy, R-Moon, was retiring. Pippy on Tuesday announced his plan not to seek re-election in the 37th District.

Stephen Miskin, spokesman for House Majority Leader Mike Turzai, R -Bradford Woods, said Turzai believes the plan that was submitted "met the standards and conditions set forth in the Constitution" and in legal precedent.

"Until we get an opinion, we can't know what needs to be fixed, but will respond accordingly," Miskin said.

Theoretically, if no plan were agreed upon until July, Costa said, he could not imagine new elections being held at that time. He speculated that in such an instance, the new lines might not be used until 2014.

"I'm pleased that a plan that was unfair to many communities and most especially some of those I represented for five years will not take effect," Wagner said. "Tactics such as splitting single neighborhoods into three districts would disenfranchise these communities."

The Supreme Court called the redistricting approach "contrary to law." The justices' majority opinion was not available.

Until lawmakers see more explanation from the court, it is difficult to provide specific comment, said Sen. Jim Ferlo, D-Highland Park.

"Obviously, it (the ruling) is an indication they shared some of the concerns, but there were any number of appellants," Ferlo said. "It is important we keep the number of senators we have as strong voices for the West, whether they are D or R."

The commission consists of the Republican and Democratic floor leaders from the House and Senate, along with a fifth member, an appointed judge.

House Minority Leader Frank Dermody of Oakmont was unavailable for comment, but his office issued a statement: "We respect the court's ruling on the plan, and I will work diligently with my colleagues on the commission to address the court's specific concerns as soon as those are made known."

Dermody had voted with Republicans for the plan. Costa had opposed it.