About every 10 years in Pennsylvania the majority party in the state legislature comes up with a plan to prevent a fair vote by making as many votes of the opposition party as ineffective as possible. This is called redistricting. The same happens in other states too.

The legislature figures out how to slice and dice the population in a way that protects incumbents of their party by making a challenge by the opposition unlikely to succeed. In other words, if you are unlucky enough to be a a district gerrymandered in favor of one party but prefer the candidate of the other party, your vote is unlikely to help bring about change.

The process is also called gerrymander. It is a way for politicians to prevent a fair vote. This political process is almost as old as the United States. But old and fair are not the same. Can this unfairness be prevented?

The obvious solution to this political maneuvering is to take the task out of the hands of politicians. Here in Pennsylvania, a group is dedicated to doing just that. Here is a quote from their website –

Fair Districts PA is a coalition of citizens and organizations who believe that in American democracy, elections should represent the will of all the people, not just the politicians, and should provide citizens with meaningful choices in electing representatives.

When partisan politicians manipulate voting maps to keep themselves and their parties in power, they shape election outcomes before the first vote is cast. When that happens, voters feel they have no voice, and legislators feel less need to listen to constituents.

We believe Pennsylvania needs to reform its redistricting rules and make the process of drawing districts impartial, transparent and accountable – promoting competitive elections and partisan fairness so our government truly is of, by and for the people.

This is an issue in many states. Some of the information on this site is specific to Pennsylvania but some applies to all states with similar problems allowing the politicians to block a fair vote.

Again, that website is http://www.fairdistrictspa.com/. Learn what we can do.