It was a cold and rainy morning in Harrisburg, PA on December 3rd, but the mood at the Fair Districts PA Reclaim Your Democracy conference didn’t let the dreary weather outside dampen their spirits. The conference intended to be a reformers summit was kicked off by Carol Kuniholm, Chair of Fair Districts PA, who described how gerrymandered Pennsylvania’s State House and Congressional districts were in prior rounds of redistricting compared to their relative fairness after redistricting in 2022. Kuniholm expressed some disappointment over the state of Pennsylvania’s State Senate districts as those were drawn to protect incumbents. However, the overall feel of the conference was of a celebratory nature with many attendees feeling as if the redistricting earlier this year had contributed to closer composition of the PA State House (102 Democrats to 101 Republicans) and PA Congressional delegation (9 Democrats to 8 Republicans). The closer make up of those delegations represent the true swing state status of PA.
The conference covered a myriad of issues related to democracy, and democratic reform. On the topic of Redistricting, Justin Villere from the Committee of Seventy shared his experience with a Congressional map their organization had previously proposed, which sought to give PA fairer Congressional districts, in 2018 when the PA Supreme Court ordered Congressional district maps to be redrawn. While their organization’s plan was not selected, Villere stated he and his team had learned an important lesson which was not to split Pittsburgh into different Congressional districts. Anthony Eid, a Commissioner from the state of Michigan, shared how different the processes are between the two states since Michigan’s redistricting is driven by an independent commission as opposed to a political one in PA.
The conference was also an opportunity to build broad coalitions between organizations working in this space. Aizaz Gill, Business for America’s PA Policy Director, spoke about the impact of more fairly drawn districts on the business environment in Pennsylvania. With a PA State House which is much closer in composition, PA legislators will have to focus on issues which Pennsylvanians (including business owners) such as improving the economy, addressing infrastructure needs, and workforce development instead of once again trying to re-litigate the results of the 2020 election. Gill underscored that when business leaders show up, elected officials tend to listen, and encouraged attendees to engage businesses or business groups in their communities in protecting and preserving our democratic ideals. If companies wish to further engage, please contact us for more information.
