PA Redistricting Back to the Drawing Board

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court rejected the new legislative redistricting plan that was to go into effect for 2012 elections.  The commission has to go back to the drawing boards.  However, the Supreme Court has not yet stated what specifically needs to change.  They just announced that it was not according to the law.  Once the Supreme Court declares what needs to be fixed the redistricting commission can go back to work.  Candidates began circulating petitions on January 24th, but this is now up in the air.  Potentially there are signatures right now on petitions from people who may not be in the new redrawn districts. Yikes! What a mess.

We've heard about the dissatisfaction about the new lines by Democrats.  This is to be expected.  The Republicans had the majority on the commission.  Every ten years as we go about this exercise the party in power flexes their muscle and draws the boundaries to best suit their interest.  I must admit my biased opinion and say that it appears that with the plan the Supreme Court rejected the Republic majority showed some restraint.  It could have easily been much worse for the Democrats.  And usually the court is loathed to rule against this legislative process. This time...Surprise!

Generally, I think most disinterested people (i.e., most of the citizens of PA) would like to take the human bias out of the redistricting process.  Other states have gone to using computer algorithms to guide the process.  Humans make the final call, but an attempt is made to be evenhanded.  There is great resistance to changing the current system by those that are invested in it: the political leaders, of both parties.

I'll tell you what is most distasteful to me and I don't hear a peep about it from media or observers.  Inevitably the lines are drawn and sometimes districts moved clear across the state to accommodate sitting legislators. I don't mean just the usual drawing of the line to capture more of your party.  I am referring to the practice of overtly considering which of the incumbents is choosing to retire or being forced out one way or another (jail sometimes!).  Then the insiders feel free to eliminate that district because it does not touch them or any of their buddies already in office.  Talk about self-serving actions.  This is it.  Clearly this type of action serves the best interest of sitting legislators, not the best interest of the citizens of the Commonwealth.

A case in point is the legislative district formerly represented by Chelsea Wagner.  Well, since she was elected to County Controller the Redistricting Commission, needing to add a district in the east because of population shifts, conveniently chose her district to shift to the east.  This move was done to protect the other sitting legislators and take advantage of the open seat left by Wagner's election to Controller.  Convenient, yes. But is it in the best interest of the citizens? No.

Now that the commission is going back to the drawing board this exact accommodation will be revisited.  Not for the better.  Democrats are complaining that Senator Jim Brewster's seat need not be moved east because there are Senators in the west who are choosing not to run again (two Republicans, by the way). I suspect there will be some deals made in this regard and it will not be for the public's best interest.  It will be in the best interest of the incumbents.