Op/Ed: The new PA State redistricting is the fairest it’s ever been
By Matt Han, Special to The Times
Even in today’s polarized and tense political climate, almost all Americans regardless of political party/orientation agree that fair maps and the elimination of gerrymandering are vital in creating a fair and democratic country. While most issues require opposing viewpoints and often cannot be resolved, the issue of fair representation is one that is not impossible...
Commissioners call for clarity on election issues
With Pennsylvania’s primary election scheduled for May 17, Chester County’s Commissioners joined their peers Thursday their peers across the state in calling for clarity on crucial election issues that remain unresolved.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court recently selected new maps for the U.S. congressional districts, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to overturn them, but no decision has been made...
State Supreme Court picks Democrat-backed map for Congressional districts
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa
The new Sixth District, which looks much like the old 6th.
The State Supreme Court ruled Wednesday a Democratic backed “Carter Plan” district map should be used for the 2022 Congressional elections, rejecting a Republican proposal — and likely sending the the dispute to the federal courts, as happened in 2018, when Republicans lost a bid...
GOP continues to whine when they can’t rig the vote
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa
If you can’t win fairly, then rig the game.
This is pretty much the new motto of the Pennsylvania Republican Party.
Whiny over new legislative redistricting maps that only give them a slight advantage, the GOP in the legislature is trying to use a constitutional amendment to make sure they can fix the game again.
They’re trying, again, to do the...
Letter: Kudos to Killian for redistricting reform support
To the Editor,
Three Cheers for Senator Tom Killion who recently introduced legislation in the Pennsylvania Senate to reform the state’s redistricting process.
Under our current system, every ten years, legislators draw new maps for legislative and Congressional districts based on population changes that are identified in the U.S. Census. This secretive process permits the political party in power...
Comey’s bombshells, redistricting gutted and the GOP’s internal fighting
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times
Gosh, another boring two weeks where nothing happened in politics.
Well, except for former FBI Director James Comey apparently referring to President Donald Trump as a “Mob Boss,” Speaker of the U.S. House Paul Ryan announcing that he won’t be running for reelection to the House, the head of the Republican Congressional Campaign ripping into a local Republican...
Letter: Turzai rebuts column on redistricting fight
To The Editor,
Your recent editorial regarding the League of Women Voters v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania redistricting lawsuit leaves out some important facts, which your readers should know.
Please note that the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed the 2011 Pennsylvania congressional map by a vote of 136-61, with 100 Republicans voting “yes” and 36 Democrats voting “yes.” Passing...
New Congressional maps are a karma bomb for GOP
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times
Republicans across the state of Pennsylvania are howling mad and running to the courts seeking assistance.
Karma is a bitch, right?
It seems like they may have to compete on a fair Congressional map — not the 2011 map that was among the most Gerrymandered maps in the entire country — and they don’t like it one bit.
Wolf rejects GOP redistricting plan; court may impose new map, Monday
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times
As expected, Gov. Tom Wolf rejected the new Congressional map proposed by the two Republican caucus leaders, which could lead to the state Supreme Court imposing a district map of its own Monday, leading to possible federal litigation.
The previous Gerrymandering of Congressional districts hit hardest in the Philadelphia suburbs, including Chester County, where both...
PA Supreme Court throws out Congressional district maps
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court
If you felt a certain fondness for Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has bad news for you: after a 4-3 ruling by the court Monday, it’s gone — and will be replaced by a newly shaped district by mid-February.
A majority of the justices ruled that the 2011 redistricting “clearly, plainly and...
