Hughes to Gov: New Maps Must Adhere to Voting Rights Act

Harrisburg – February 9, 2018 – In a letter to Gov. Tom Wolf on the preparation of new congressional maps, state Sen. Vincent J. Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery) reminded the governor that the new districts must adhere to the provisions of the Voting Rights Act of...

Supreme Court Decision Throwing Out the Congressional Maps Is a Good Start

Op-ed by State Senator Lisa Boscola

Since my first experience with map drawing back in 2001, it was apparent that partisanship plays too large a role in our redistricting effort.  The recent decision by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court discarding the congressional maps merely serves to reaffirm this position.

The General Assembly has long had the tools to fix the issue once and for all by taking the politics out of map drawing.  It is why I am a proud prime sponsor of SB 22.  This legislation provides for the creation of an independent commission to draw our lines every 10 years.  This has never been a partisan issue for me, but a practical one.