Our monthly Zoom meeting this evening is open to anyone who wants to know more about our work or share ideas for building stronger local groups and more effective advocacy. We all have a role to play. What's yours? actionnetwork.org/forms/fair-d...

While leaders in both parties race to gerrymander more districts, voters want leaders willing to speak out about the harm to all of us when leaders choose their voters. This clip went viral fast. Thank you Secretary Pete Buttigieg youtu.be/PSOEavPFk0Q?...

This is why we need to end gerrymandering

YouTube video by Pete Buttigieg

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Pete Buttigieg@petebuttigieg.bsky.social · 5d ago

Gerrymandering lets politicians choose their voters instead of the other way around. Until we end that, it will remain difficult to achieve the things most Americans already agree on.

Partisan actors have engineered an electoral system that rewards division & punishes cooperation, & has coded dysfunction into the DNA of democracy. @thefulcrum-us.bsky.social focuses on Congress, but the same is true in PA. It's time to fix that. Let's start here. thefulcrum.us/democracy/el...

Washington Warned Us — Now America Must Renew Its Democracy

A broken incentive system is driving division — and structural reform is the path to renewal.

thefulcrum.us

Most Pennsylvanians now know what #gerrymandering is & most want a solution to end it. At events across PA 100s step up to say "Fix this!' If you haven't signed the petition in support of a PA independent #redistricting commission you can do that here: tinyurl.com/FairDistrict...

Committee of Seventy July 15-16 Democracy Summit featured national, state & Philly voices on civic engagement, the function (& dysfunction) of branches of government, with many ideas for taking action to make democracy stronger. There are things we ALL can do. whyy.org/articles/dem...

From trust to turnout: 5 takeaways from Philadelphia's democracy summit

From trust in elections to political polarization, experts shared what they believe Americans should understand about democracy's future.

whyy.org

Interns & FDPA volunteers have collected thousands of petition signatures this summer at over 40 community events in about 2 dozen counties. Rural, urban, suburban; red, blue or purple: Pennsylvanians don't like gerrymandering & say politicians should not draw district lines.

Check Penn Live 6 part series on spending in the @PALegis. While NY & CA gave themselves more money for operations, their rates per resident were about 1/2 of PA‘s when adjusted for population. www.pennlive.com/politics/202...

Pa. spends $60M yearly to run the Legislature. Tracking the money is difficult

Pennsylvania’s Legislature spends millions annually with little transparency, accumulating a $307M reserve amid vague oversight and limited audits.

pennlive.com

On 7/12 @PALegis passed a budget & recessed until 9/28. Bills we supported are dead for this session due to PA Constitution requirement that constitutional amendments pass in both chambers 3 months before the next election. The work for reform continues. www.fairdistrictspa.com/updates/is-t...

Here's the follow-up to the FDPA volunteer Substack article posted yesterday about the PA legislative process. Why is reform so difficult in PA? The same leaders who control the process also benefit from the dysfunction. Isn't it time to change this? ibegtodiffer.substack.com/p/a-pa-grand...

A PA Grand Jury Recommended Legislative Reforms 16 Years Ago - Most Have Been Ignored

Wanna Guess Why???!

ibegtodiffer.substack.com

While we're waiting to see a final PA budget, check this long read from one of our FDPA volunteers, pulling together years of research, graphics and deepening concern about PA legislative dysfunction. ibegtodiffer.substack.com/p/pennsylvan...

Pennsylvania's Legislative Dysfunction Is Not Just Embarrassing - It's Hurting The Commonwealth And Our Democracy And Costing Us Billions

Let Us Count The Many Ways Our Legislature Is Failing Its Responsibilities to Its Constituents

ibegtodiffer.substack.com

🗓️1of2 As of July 11, PA & South Carolina are the only states without approved budgets. The @AltoonaMirrorPA suggests some factors behind the delay. Fix Harrisburg researchers suggest another. www.altoonamirror.com/news/local-n...

Several factors in play for state’s overdue budget

For the fifth consecutive year, Pennsylvania’s government failed to pass a budget by the June 30 constitutional deadline. The latest delay adds to the state’s long history of missed budget deadlines, ...

altoonamirror.com

When PA budgets are late, "“It really does put an undue hardship and stress on all the systems at the county level, which then trickles down to the providers, the vendors, the nonprofits, and then it really trickles straight down to the citizens." www.weny.com/news/harrisb...

🚪1of2 Some of the most consequential votes in the PA Senate take place "off the floor" (no time announced until minutes before) in the Senate Rules Committee Conference Room. No live stream; limited seating barely adequate for committee members & staff. www.cityandstatepa.com/politics/202...

Behind closed doors: The fight to open up the PA Senate ‘Rules Room’

In a time of increasing transparency efforts at all levels of government, one of the most consequential spaces in the state Capitol remains opaque despite efforts to show what happens inside.

cityandstatepa.com

#PAHouse passed HB 2400 on April 14. In a normal budget process, Senate Appropriations Committee would amend it with line item changes to show points of negotiation, then those would be resolved & a finalized bill put to a vote by PA constitutionally-required deadline: June 30.

@Studio2 @NPR: On June 18, 1776, the PA Provincial Conference met at Carpenters’ Hall to imagine a world without tyranny. From that meeting: the Declaration of Independence & a bold new vision of governance for the commonwealth. www.youtube.com/live/iHjJoom...

Live from Carpenters’ Hall: Pennsylvania Constitution at 250 | Studio 2 from WHYY | 06/18/26

YouTube video by WHYY

youtube.com

Check the recently-posted recording of the June 4 @upittpress.bsky.social discussion: Reshaping Government: Possibilities & Perils: Congressional Redistricting Frenzy, hosted by Mark Nordenberg, featuring Robert Byer & Jonathan Cervas. youtu.be/Cy9XuSnycLo?...

Reshaping Government: Possibilities and Perils featuring Robert Byer and Jonathan Cervas

YouTube video by Pitt - Institute of Politics

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Problem Solvers Caucus announces #redistricting reform framework: "As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of its founding, the framework affirms that strengthening our democracy begins with ensuring voters can choose their representatives" problemsolverscaucus.house.gov/news/documen...

Problem Solvers Caucus Unveils Bipartisan Gerrymandering Reform Framework

problemsolverscaucus.house.gov

Two central PA pastors explain the moral and economic issues behind #gerrymandering. It's not about race. It's not about red vs blue, rural vs urban, young vs old. It's about right vs wrong. That's why we are advocating for #redistricting reform. youtu.be/7jnrO8tGyIQ?...

Power to The People Town Hall - Crispus Attucks York

YouTube video by Fair Districts PA

youtu.be

On April 22nd, York leaders held a public forum on voting rights & fair representation, the 1st of a proposed series of community conversations building support for an independent redistricting process that returns real power to the people. Watch for more. youtu.be/7jnrO8tGyIQ?...

Power to The People Town Hall - Crispus Attucks York

YouTube video by Fair Districts PA

youtu.be

FDPA operates on a shoestring budget with an all-volunteer staff & no office overhead. As we've been told, we punch way above our weight. But we do have expenses & a fiscal year-end shortage. We'd welcome your donations. Every dollar makes a difference. tinyurl.com/FDPA-YrEnd2026

No one can say how the #redistricting war will impact 2026 election. Will angry voters turn out? Will apathetic voters give up? Will maps rigged for GOP advantage turn out to be dummymanders, yielding the opposite outcome? Where are the leaders who insist voters matter? www.vox.com/podcasts/492...

How Trump’s redistricting could backfire

Democratic turnout could overwhelm Trump’s attempts to rig the midterms.

vox.com

June @fandmpoll.bsky.social poll finds "7 in 10 (70%) registered voters support having an independent redistricting commission draw state legislative districts. Most (59%) voters say they oppose the mid-decade redistricting currently taking place in some states." www.fandm.edu/stories/fran...

@fandmpoll.bsky.social reports: "Voters DO NOT like mid-decade redistricting....People are consistently in favor of having an independent redistricting commission. They do not like the fact that politicians are drawing the lines." youtu.be/929e2UWq3lg?...

June 2026 - New F&M Poll - Berwood Yost Explains How The PA Voters Feeling? | Voices of Reason

YouTube video by PoliticsPA

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Why celebrate #Juneteenth? @lwv.org CEO Celina Stewart offers personal reflections on its meaning & importance. "If you have ever wondered whether your vote matters, remember this: rights that hold no power are rarely challenged." www.lwv.org/blog/junetee...

Juneteenth and the Danger of Selective Memory | League of Women Voters

It’s Juneteenth. Today, we honor the emancipation of the last enslaved Americans and recognize the painful history, extraordinary resilience, and generations of activism that made that moment possible...

lwv.org

"Ordinary people don’t need to wait until November to make their voices heard & protect our democracy." Most PA voters agree. At some tabling events, Pennsylvanians are lining up to sign the petition in support of an independent redistricting commission. apnews.com/article/redi...

Georgia Republican legislative leaders reject governor's call for 2028 redistricting

Republican lawmakers in Georgia won’t redraw congressional and state legislative districts for the 2028 elections during a special session called by GOP Gov. Brian Kemp.

apnews.com

American voters trust independent redistricting commissions over state legislatures to draw fair congressional district lines by a more than 2-to-1 margin. Survey research has found that Americans think of #gerrymandering on the same footing as forms of political corruption.⬇️

Redistricting wars assume a world of left vs right, red vs blue, us vs them. The reality is our political landscape is much more nuanced. @pewresearch study takes a deep dive into America's "large, politically messy center." www.pewresearch.org/politics/202...

Beyond Red vs. Blue: The Political Typology

Our typology sorts the public into nine groups based on their political and cultural values, not their party – painting a picture of American politics with far more than two colors.

pewresearch.org

✍🏽 We'll have hundreds of conversations about redistricting at community events this weekend, and will add thousands more petition signatures in support of redistricting reform.

Are you registered to vote? Have you signed the petition to support an independent #redistricting commission? Want to volunteer for a shift to share info about PA redistricting? We all have a role to play! Learn more at fairdistrictspa.com/ & www.palwv.org

Fair Districts PA will be tabling at TEN local events this week, from Forest County to Philly. All could use a few more volunteers. All are fun opportunities to see PA & help build support for redistricting reform. Find events & sign up for a shift here: www.fairdistrictspa.com/events