Today the Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued an order upholding the maps drawn by the Legislative Reapportionment Commission over a number of objections.  

Statement of Khalif Ali, Executive Director Common Cause Pennsylvania 

The maps passed by the LRC were the result of hundreds of hours of advocacy from organizations across the Commonwealth, including organizations representing communities of color who have traditionally been left out of the redistricting process. Common Cause PA is proud to have partnered with these organizations in calling for fairer and more representative maps.

While the maps are not perfect, we appreciate the time and care that members of the LRC put into crafting maps that take into account public testimony in a meaningful way and count incarcerated individuals with less than ten years left on their sentence in their homes, rather than in their cells.

The Supreme Court’s decision today marks the end of the 2020 redistricting process in Pennsylvania. But our work is far from over – now we must work to educate every voter about their new districts, advocate for increased access to the ballot box, and ensure that every eligible Pennsylvanian can cast their ballot in a safe, secure and accessible election.  We will also be looking closely at the lessons of this redistricting cycle and continuing to fight for a redistricting process that puts people, not politicians, in charge of drawing district lines.