For much of our country’s history, there was no requirement that state legislative districts be equal in population. Consequently, many states had extreme population imbalances between districts. The U.S. Supreme Court eventually established a requirement for population equality but granted leeway for state legislative districts. Specifically, under the Supreme Court ruling, if the population difference between the most populous and least populous district, known as the overall range, is less than 10%, it will receive less legal scrutiny.

During our most recent redistricting, Pennsylvania’s state house districts had an overall range of 8.65% while state senate districts had an overall range of 8.11%. Such disparities in population mean that voters in more-populated districts have less weight than those in less-populated districts. That is why I am introducing legislation to impose stricter population requirements for state legislative districts. My bill will minimize county and municipal splits, while ensuring no state legislative district may have a population of 3% above or below the ideal population. In addition, it will provide that communities of interests be preserved as much as possible.

Equal representation is an important pillar of our democracy, and having clear population deviation requirements will help to ensure such equal representation in Pennsylvania. Other states have specific population deviation requirements for redistricting, including Colorado, Louisiana, Minnesota, and Virginia. It is time that we do so as well, acting now to ensure this is in place before the next redistricting process occurs. Please join me in co-sponsoring this bill to ensure that everyone in our state has an equal voice in electing their state legislators.