Below is an open sign-on letter advocating for a fair redistricting process. Once you have signed the letter using the form below, your name, title, business (or chamber), and county will be listed on this letter. There is also an option to share any address or contact info you wish to provide. The letter will be presented and shared with members of the public in Pennsylvania in various forms of media and shared with the Legislative Redistricting Commission.


Dear Commissioners of the Legislative Redistricting Commission,

As business owners and job creators of the Commonwealth, we write to you today about the urgent need to bring fairness into the redistricting process. Republicans, Democrats, and Independents all believe that gerrymandering is a problem, and that when executed in a partisan fashion, it undermines the integrity of elections. The current maps manipulate race, municipality, and education for political advantage and create incentives to create bad products: failed and corrupt policies. There is less and less real competition which benefits voters as politicians invest in themselves at the expense of their customers - the voters. If politics was an industry, it’s one that’s begging for disruption.

We believe that a well-functioning democracy makes our nation stronger.  Our community is best served by a system where all people can speak and be heard, and where no one loses an opportunity to make a meaningful choice.  For example, in 2020, due to bipartisan passage of act 77, Pennsylvania expanded the option of voting by mail to all registered voters. This expansion led to the highest turnout election in the history of our state. When a larger demographic was able to choose their form of access, which for many meant a less costly ballot, more of them participated regardless of their ideology.

The democratic process is how our country solves our disagreements by comparing ideas.  Inflating the cost of entry into the voting booth through self-interested gerrymandering and undermining a truly free market of ideas in democracy serves only to cut off consumers from that market, and that tradition of working through solutions together.

Unfortunately, there are some who feel differently. There are some who would choose short-term gains for themselves and their donors over what's best for average voters. There are some who would cut out Pennsylvanians for their own power.  And there are some who have sadly been misled by those leaders to think that it’s not even worth talking to their neighbors when, now more than ever, we need to value every member of our community to move forward. A broken democracy has clear and detrimental impacts for both our nation and contributes to market volatility. We need leaders to invest in new maps that don’t carry the baggage of unfair lines that were drawn in the past to value political expediency over stability and safety.

This is a critical moment to affirm voters’ increased engagement in the redistricting process by expanding transparency and restoring trust. It must actively engage with the broadest audience possible to ensure that all voices are heard, and to truly listen to them. Just like in business, legislators must understand how the average consumer sees themselves to get the best results. A truly open process sets a standard for what things look like in the future and keeps people invested in the democratic tradition.

We must draw maps in a bipartisan manner where everyone --- not just political parties --- benefits.

We must draw new, fair maps --- they should create districts that promote our natural geographic and cultural diversity and a competition of ideas at all levels, not water those things down.

We must give voice to ALL of our communities, especially those who have been excluded from the process in the past. As we have seen as recently as 2018, maps that are not drawn with racial equity as a principle will never be “fair” in any meaningful sense of the term --- both major parties have taken part in drawing voting districts which disadvantage Pennsylvanians of color. Emerging demographics trends should be accounted for and growing markets appealed to and invested in, rather than ignored.

Over the years, members of the Assembly have taken an oath to discharge the duties of their office “with fidelity” so that our children and grandchildren, and all Pennsylvanians, can rely on their continued faithfulness, trust, and support.  At this crucial juncture in our state's history, we believe that the Assembly has an important role to play in ensuring that we are all seen and treated with this same fidelity. To restore trust, the Assembly should pass fair maps before the courts are forced to intervene yet again.

Simple economics says that we’re in trouble unless our political leaders act. Unfair districts reduce the supply of competition itself, which in turn increases demand - and pricing out voters from their access to democracy is a dangerous path. A fair democracy should not be a luxury good - the freedom to participate preserves all other freedoms. To this end, we call on you to support mapmaking that follows these principles.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned