Fair Districts PA

Fair Districts PA will host an information session 6 p.m. Feb. 19 at Northampton Area Public Library, 1615 Laubach Ave., on gerrymandering and how to end the system that allows the drawing of districts to benefit one political party.

The session is free and open to the public.

Fair Districts PA, a project of the League of Women Voters, is a nonprofit statewide organization that supports an impartial, transparent and accountable system for drawing boundaries for congressional and state legislative seats.

Currently, boundaries are drawn every 10 years after the latest census is conducted to account for population changes. In Pennsylvania, the redistricting process for congressional seats is controlled by the state general assembly with the governor having veto power.

State legislative districts are drawn by a five-member commission composed of the majority and minority leaders of the state House and Senate and a fifth member chosen by them.

Fair Districts PA believes both redistricting systems lead to gerrymandering because they give the controlling political party in Harrisburg the ability to draw boundaries that will virtually guarantee the election of party members.

Fair Districts PA advocates for boundaries to be drawn by a commission of citizens, not elected officials.

During several sessions planned throughout the Lehigh Valley, Fair District PA representatives will discuss the current system and proposed legislation to end gerrymandering.

For more information, contact carlacfairdistricts@gmail.com.