House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

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House of Representatives
Session of 2015 - 2016 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted:	August 13, 2015 11:59 AM
From:	Representative Tina M. Davis and Rep. Brian Sims
To:	All House members
Subject:	Co-Sponsorship of Legislation Establishing the PA Independent Re-Districting Commission

In the near future, We will be introducing legislation amending the Pennsylvania Constitution to improve how we do re-districting in the Commonwealth for State Senate, State House and Congressional districts. Electoral districts should be drawn fairly, independently and without undue emphasis on partisan affiliation. Our legislation mirrors the common-sense reform approach used by the state of Arizona where a bipartisan panel draws that state’s electoral districts thereby countering the extreme gerrymandering that has become the new normal in Pennsylvania. Arizona’s Independent Redistricting Commission was formed 15 years ago after the states’ voters approved Proposition 106, amending the state’s Constitution to take redistricting power away from the Legislature. The legislature later filed a lawsuit which went all the way to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court upheld the Commission in a 5-4 vote this past June. It is time that Pennsylvania voters restore the core principle of our republican government, specifically that voters should choose their representatives, not the other way around. We hope you will join us in supporting this important piece of legislation.

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