Map for the future: An amateur redistricts better than the politicians
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Any Pennsylvania group that has an award for outstanding civic achievement should consider Amanda E. Holt for a prize. What she did was draw a legislative reapportionment map that won a rare accolade from the state Supreme Court, which rejected the version produced by a panel heavy with politicians.
It would be one thing if Ms. Holt were a political scientist well versed in the intricacies of designing legislative districts on the basis of the most recent census information. But she is a 29-year-old piano teacher and self-employed graphic artist who lives in Upper Macungie in Lehigh County.
In rejecting the plan offered by the five-member state Legislative Reapportionment Commission, thereby ruling in favor of Ms. Holt and other plaintiffs, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court was clearly moved by what she had done.
Referring to the Holt plan, Chief Justice Ronald Castille wrote in his opinion: "This powerful evidence, challenging the Final Plan as a whole, suffices to show that the Final Plan is contrary to law." Simply put, too many municipalities and counties were divided unnecessarily.
The state constitution says, "Unless absolutely necessary no county, city, incorporated town, borough, township or ward shall be divided in forming either a senatorial or representative district." The map writers must also conform to equal protection decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court.
There are two morals to this story. The first concerns how much one civic-minded citizen can single-handedly achieve with dedication and hard work. The second has to do with the flawed nature of the system for redistricting itself. Because of the botched plan, the Pennsylvania primary may have to be held later than April 24.
The Legislative Reapportionment Commission was a creation of the 1968 Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention (before this, the General Assembly was supposed to redraw districts). The commission comprises the four leaders of the Pennsylvania House and Senate and a "neutral chairman." As the two Democrats and two Republicans could not agree on this person, the Supreme Court appointed Stephen J. McEwen Jr., a former president judge of Superior Court, as chairman.
If only all the members of the panel were neutral. As it was, the politicians apparently could not help pulling the mapping pencil back and forth according to their political self-interest. By contrast, Ms. Holt did not consider political factors and was able to draw a more sensible map with far fewer unnatural divisions.
Redistricting should not be about what politicians want, but what best serves the people of Pennsylvania for whom they work. The next time Pennsylvania calls a constitutional convention, it should insist the future redistricting be performed by a truly neutral panel. Ms. Holt has shown what can be done.
First Published February 13, 2012 12:00 am
