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Change how legislative districts are reapportioned

A state senator from Lackawanna County wants to take away politicians’ power to redraw legislative districts in Pennsylvania every 10 years.

Simply put, Sen. John Blake of Archbald believes, “We (lawmakers) should not be choosing our voters, voters should be choosing us.”

Well said.

Blake wants to amend the state constitution so a mainly legislative-appointed, nine-member commission would handle the job for both state legislative districts and congressional districts.

According to The Times-Tribune newspaper in Scranton, Blake’s proposal calls for a ninth neutral commission member chosen by a supermajority vote with at least six of eight members voting in favor.

That individual would serve as chairman.

A reapportionment plan would require a supermajority vote to be adopted with at least seven of nine members voting for it.

Bills cannot be officially introduced until the new legislative session starts Jan. 6 and committees are formed.

The current system provides for a special commission composed of four legislative, political caucus leaders and a fifth chairman to redraw boundaries for state House and state Senate seats every decade after the census to reflect shifts in population.

The state House and Senate pass a separate bill to redistrict congressional seats.

The redrawing of state legislative districts following the 2010 census officially took effect last week.

Clinton County has seen its Senate representation change the last two reapportionments without any say by voters-taxpayers locally. While that wouldn’t change under Blake’s proposal, at least provides better balance in the decision-making process. The most recent redistricting plan approved by the polical commission was halted by the state court and had to be redrawn because, the judges said, it wasn’t balanced.

Government reform groups have long called for a nonpolitical reapportionment, but individual lawmakers have had little success in recent decades in getting support for those bills.

The current system tips the balance of power to the majority party each time districts are redrawn.

Let taxpayers-voters decide.

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