Pennsylvania
Activities to Understand Redistricting
- Review population trends with Pennsylvanians On the Move, an interactive demonstration of population movement in the state over three time periods.
- Discuss how to prioritize redistricting criteria using Flashes of Insight cards or an online game.
- Redistricting in Pennsylvania: Voting and Election Information (background)
- Describe and map your community with online tools from Representable.org to understand what issues are important in your neighborhood and region. Use both written and geographic descriptions to explain your community.
- Practice using geospatial technology tools in preparation for drawing sample electoral district lines with accessible, step-by-step instructions.
- What Is a Gerrymander? Esri GeoInquiries for Government
- Pennsylvania ArcGIS Online Redistricting Exercise (2010 census data)
- Draw electoral districts with 2020 Census data using open-source geospatial technology tools.
- Fair Districts PA 2024 Mapping Contest
- Explore Districtr and District Builder.
- Examine the "Notable Maps" detailed in Dave's Redistricting App to investigate different approaches to drawing electoral district lines.
- Analyze redistricting maps, including any maps you created, the existing approved state maps, and various proposed maps in Dave's Redistricting App.
- Evaluate the fairness of electoral district maps using PlanScore, from the Campaign Legal Center.
- Explore the partisan lean data from FiveThirtyEight to consider which party might benefit from a particular map.
- Investigate the Redistricting Report Card, from the Princeton Gerrymandering Project.
- Learn about issues in your community that are affected by people who represent you at the local, state, and national levels.
- Who else do you vote with? Who are your elected representatives? How did the lines change from the previous districts? How do your city, county, school board, state, and congressional districts fit together? Did your districts grow or shrink in area? How would you describe your districts (competitive, gerrymandered, representative)?
- Recall the information you identified while describing your community. What else do you need to consider when drawing districts? What watershed do you live in? What school districts serve your area? What issues are decided by state legislatures and local elected bodies that you care about?
- What suggestions do you have for the people who will draw the lines in 2030?
- Request to borrow a Giant Map of Pennsylvania
- Pennsylvania Geographic Alliance
- Bryn Mawr College, Career & Civic Engagement Center
ORGANIZATIONS AND RESOURCES
- Ballotpedia (website)
- Pennsylvania Census Data (website)
- Pennsylvania Congressional Redistricting (website)
- Pennsylvania Legislative Redistricting (website)
- Pennsylvania State Data Center (FSCPE)
- Draw the Lines PA (educational website)
- Fair Districts PA (website)
- Mini-Documentary, October 2020
- Fix Philly Districts (website)
- Committee of Seventy - Redistricting (website)
- Pennsylvania Voice (website)
PERSPECTIVES
- Pennsylvania Redistricting With Geographers: Communities of Interest Criteria and Beyond (panel discussion)
- American Association of Geographers, Redistricting Panel Series, What can geographers do?
- Accessible to the public, but requires you to sign in
- New first-year seminar course examines geography of redistricting
- Franscisco Tutella, Penn State University, October 3, 2022
- Fairer Election in Pa. Could Depend on 12 Mathematicians.
- Brian X. McCrone, NBC Philadelphia, January 17, 2022
- Despite transparency vows, much of Pa.'s redistricting still takes place behind closed doors
- Kate Huangpu, The Pennsylvania Inquirer, October 28, 2021
- Are Pa.'s state House and Senate maps gerrymandered? Depends on how you measure them.
- Marie Albiges. The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 3, 2021
- What to watch as Pennsylvania loses a congressional seat: 'The stakes are really high'.
- Jonathan Tamari and Jonathan Lai. The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 27, 2021
- Redistricting will be the definitive political fight in Pennsylvania in 2021. Here's how it'll work.
- Marie Albiges, The Philadelphia Inquirer, January 15, 2021