Constituents send message to Sen. Corman in support of redistricting reform

The sounds of staple guns filled the parking lot outside state Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman’s office on Thursday morning.

Fair Districts Centre County supporters attached postcards from Corman’s constituents to a large sheet of plywood that was painted to resemble a gerrymandered district near Philadelphia — described as “Goofy kicking Donald” — and then brought it into Corman’s office.

The group collected more than 500 postcards addressed to Corman, each with messages encouraging him to support redistricting reform.

They also collected another 500 to send to other local representatives.

Gerrymandering is drawing legislative and congressional districts in a way that favors one party or group.

Two pieces of legislation, Senate Bill 22 and House Bill 722, have been introduced in the Pennsylvania legislature to reform the way district lines are drawn, calling for a commission comprised solely of independent citizens.

The lines are drawn now in Pennsylvania by a five-person commission — the four party leaders and a fifth person who usually has to be chosen by the state Supreme Court.

It’s a nonpartisan issue, said Debbie Trudeau, Fair Districts organizer. No matter who’s doing it, gerrymandering is bad for everyone.

“This is not about Republicans and Democrats,” Pam Short said. “This is about giving power to voters to control elections.”

Gerrymandering puts politicians in safe seats so they don’t have to worry about getting re-elected, she said. If they don’t have to worry about getting re-elected, they don’t have to get anything done.

“We need to have fair districts to have good government,” she said.

The next round of redistricting is triggered in 2020.

Tobin Short said the group hopes Corman will come around and support the Senate bill.

“We always appreciate constituents’ involvement in the process,” said Jenn Kocher, Corman’s communications director.

She said the senator is not commenting on S.B. 22 on the advice of counsel because the General Assembly’s named in a lawsuit for which the main petitioner is the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania, also a backer of Fair Districts PA.

Corman is not listed as a respondent or mentioned by name in the lawsuit, filed June 15 in Commonwealth Court.

The lawsuit challenges the state’s 2011 congressional district map as an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander.

This story was originally published October 19, 2017 at 5:21 PM with the headline "Constituents send message to Sen. Corman in support of redistricting reform."