New Tool Shows Current, Proposed PA Legislative Districts

PENNSYLVANIA — With a once-in-a-decade legislative redistricting process underway in Pennsylvania, members of the public can now access an interactive tool showing current and proposed House and Senate districts.

The tool was created by a team at Spotlight PA, which is an independent, investigative journalism publication that reports on all manner of state government issues.

A legislative panel recently approved the new maps, which would pit about one of every 10 House Republicans against one another in primary races while likely adding additional Democratic seats. There is still a lengthy approval process forthcoming: a public comment period, a period for legal challenges, and another vote must still take place.

You can enter home addresses into the interactive tool created by Spotlight to see current legislative districts and those proposed under the redistricting plan. See the interactive tool online here.

The entire redistributing process has long been the subject of intense debate, particularly following a 2018 congressional redrawing which was ultimately ruled unconstitutional by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The Court then ordered a new map to be drawn essentially following the principles listed above.
Fair Districts PA, a nonprofit group advocating for redistricting, have pushed for state lawmakers to be more transparent in the process.

They argue that ending gerrymandering is not just about absurdly drawn districts that are not contiguous on a map. It's a process which they say keeps too many areas "safe" seats for one party or another, which in turn effectively puts state legislators in charge of who will be elected next, not voters. They blame the culture of divisiveness and lack of legislative action in Harrisburg on poorly drawn maps.

With reporting from Patch correspondent Justin Heinze