Temple University Geography and Urban Studies Professor Lee Hachadoorian will moderate Pennsylvania Redistricting with Geographers: Communities of Interest Criteria and Beyond on Monday, Sept. 13 at 2 p.m. as part of the American Association of Geographers' (AAG) Redistricting Panel Series.
Redistricting to preserve geographically defined communities of interest (COI) is recognized as a way to constrain gerrymandering and ensure that legislatures are truly representative. However, communities of interest are just one of many important criteria in redistricting.
The panel will explore the intent of the COI criteria; how they can contribute to fair representation; their usefulness in relation to traditional redistricting criteria; and how they may be misused in the redistricting process. In addition, we will look at publicly available tools citizens can use to define COIs and learn how to submit them to officials drawing Pennsylvania’s new maps.
Attendees will become familiar with Pennsylvania’s redistricting history and process and leave with the knowledge and tools needed to get involved as the new districts are drawn. When it comes to the fight for fair redistricting, there is no one better equipped than a geographer. By activating our collective power as a community and pressing to have a geographer in the room in every state, we can set new expectations this year and show why geospatial thinkers are indispensable.