Draw the Lines as a resource during COVID-19

Image Credit: B) Don Henry

We all have urgent concerns right now during the COVID-19 pandemic – about our own and our loved ones’ health; about threats to our livelihoods and the fabric of our communities. We at Draw the Lines PA feel all of those worries just as you do. We know that things like “fixing gerrymandering” slip down the priority list until we overcome this emergency. 

But we do want to connect some dots, draw some lines if you will, between the current urgency and the deep-seated problem Draw the Lines seeks to cure. 

When we launched this project in 2018, we said over and over – in a phrase now full of poignant irony – that gerrymandering was the virus in the operating system of democracy. If we didn’t attack and contain the virus, the whole system of democracy would collapse.

Obviously, we must focus now on containing a different, lethally real virus. But once the immediate shock of the pandemic subsides, Pennsylvania will still need its citizens to work for reforms that will build legitimacy, accountability, and responsiveness in our state and federal legislatures.

In the meantime, Draw the Lines PA intends to be there to support you in active citizenship. 

This moment is particularly challenging for educators as they navigate this new world of virtual and home-based teaching. Draw the Lines is providing free, informative, and challenging online resources for your students no matter where they are located. We've recorded an hour-long online class for educators to share with students, simulating how DTL has taught classes for the last two years. If there is anything we can do to help bring Draw the Lines to your online classroom, we can be reached at info@drawthelinespa.org.

As we move into April and May, Draw the Lines will continue supporting Pennsylvanians through: 

  • The ongoing Spring 2020 mapping competition.
  • Virtual trainings for high school and college educators on how to use DTL's educator resources with all of the classes that have moved online.
  • A virtual awards event, in place of Map Day, where we’ll announce our statewide award winners from our most recent finished competition.
  • Opportunities for you to connect with your lawmakers so you can tell them your thoughts on reform.
  • Engaging content on our social media channels to continue discussion on this issue.

In the short-term, please stay safe and healthy. We’ll look forward to continue demonstrating that Pennsylvanians want to #MakeMyVoteCount and help build the trust and accountability of government that is so vital to surmounting challenges like this one.

The Draw the Lines PA team