As he decides whether to sign off on the Congressional maps that the legislature eventually will draw later this year, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf will get to turn to an advisory council of redistricting experts for advice.
Mr. Wolf signed an executive order on Tuesday creating the Pennsylvania Redistricting Advisory Council, a six-member committee that will engage the public and other stakeholders to make recommendations on the maps — with an emphasis on “fairness and integrity,” his office said.
“We must bring more fairness and transparency to the redistricting process, so every Pennsylvanian is assured their voice is heard,” Mr. Wolf said in a statement, adding that politicians should not use the process to choose their own voters and that gerrymandering — drawing districts to create a political advantage — is “wrong.”
The council — comprising four academics and former Philadelphia City Solicitor Sozi Tulante — will provide guidance to the governor as he reviews the congressional redistricting plan.
The members are tasked with “listening to the people of Pennsylvania and providing their expert advice” so that he “can better evaluate the maps in the best interest of all Pennsylvanians,” Mr. Wolf said.
Key committees in Harrisburg will redraw the Congressional map — 17 U.S. House districts in total — in the coming months, and have been holding regional hearings to solicit testimony from the public on an issue that has galvanized activists for years.
The advisory council will review the policies and practices of other states that have had success in reducing gerrymandering, the executive order reads, and will suggest to the governor what tools he can use to determine if the maps are compact and contiguous and keep intact communities of interest.
The six members will coordinate to produce a written report for the governor, due by Nov. 1, that will include its recommendations for “evaluating integrity and fairness of congressional redistricting plans,” according to the order.
Julian Routh: jrouth@post-gazette.com; Twitter: @julianrouth
First Published: September 14, 2021, 9:32 p.m.