Statement on The Pennsylvania Legislative Reapportionment Commission Counting Incarcerated Individuals at their Home Districts During the 2021 Redistricting Cycle
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 26, 2021
Press contact:
Sarai Bejarano | Manager of Traditional & Digital Media | [email protected] | 212-739-7581
Statement on The Pennsylvania Legislative Reapportionment Commission Counting Incarcerated Individuals at their Home Districts During the 2021 Redistricting Cycle
Pennsylvania- This week the Pennsylvania Legislative Reapportionment Commission voted to end prison gerrymandering, the practice of incarcerated individuals in the towns where these prisons are located rather than their home address. This archaic practice has historically served to dilute the electoral power of communities of color across Pennsylvania and serves no legitimate purpose but to continue the disenfranchisement of our most vulnerable communities. We applaud the efforts of the commission to begin dismantling a practice that violates the principle of equal representation in our democracy.
The hyper-incarceration of Latinx and Black individuals contributes to a continuous vote dilution of urban communities of color while falsely inflating urban white prison-towns to have greater political power at all levels of government. Under its own election laws, Pennsylvania acknowledges the transient residence of individuals incarcerated in these areas by not granting voting rights in those suburban districts but yet turns around and seeks to use their physical presence to create artificially inflated electoral districts in which they have no say. The state’s
deliberate decision to allow the inflation of voting power in small majority white towns, while diluting the voting power of Pennsylvania’s largely minority urban cities violates the constitutional mandate of “one person, one vote”.
"Great to see that the PA Reapportionment Commission is using common sense and shedding antiquated and unfair notions about how to count prisoners." said Will Gonzalez, Executive Director, CEIBA. “Prison gerrymandering is one of many legal practices that exists to continuously disenfranchise communities of color. This resolution is a step forward in acknowledging the perpetual harms caused by diluting the electoral power of urban districts.” said Fulvia Vargas-De Leon, Associate Counsel, LatinoJustice PRLDEF. Although the resolution passed will only address the current legislative redistricting cycle, we urge the members of the committee to publicly voice support and pass legislation that will bring an end to prison gerrymandering at the legislative and congressional level.
Additional Materials:
- Spanish Statement HERE
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About LatinoJustice
LatinoJustice PRLDEF works to create a more just society by using and challenging the rule of law to secure transformative, equitable and accessible justice, by empowering our community and by fostering leadership through advocacy and education. For nearly 50 years, LatinoJustice PRLDEF has acted as an advocate against injustices throughout the country. To learn more about LatinoJustice, visit www.LatinoJustice.org
About Ceiba
Ceiba's mission is to promote the economic development and financial inclusion of the Latino community through collaborations and advocacy aimed at ensuring their access to quality housing.