Try the 'Democracy Digital Scavenger Hunt'
Before you learn about redistricting and gerrymandering, it will be helpful to review some principles of Government 101. Join us for a digital democracy scavenger hunt!
The following questions will help you gain a sense of how government works and why it exists, both in Pennsylvania and across the United States. You can use either of these websites on PA's state government (www.pacapitol.com or www.PA.gov), or Draw the Lines' own website. Or, take the questions to Google.
After you think you've found the answers, click here to check your work (unpublished until after class is over).
Q) What is a bill and how is it different than a law?
Q) Who writes and passes laws in Pennsylvania?
Q) In PA, who is responsible for approving or vetoing laws passed by the General Assembly, subject to a two-thirds override?
Q) How many State Senators are there in Pennsylvania?
Q) How many members are in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives?
Q) How many of those state senators are female, as of June 2020?
Q) The Census is a data recording tool that collects population demographics every ten years. How many decades has the United States and Commonwealth of PA participated in the Census?
Q) When a college student completes their US Census form where should they say they live, at home or at college?
Q) Give two examples of how the Census data affects your community?
Q) Who was the Fall 2019 Draw the Lines 1st Place Statewide Youth Winner?
Q) Logan Ford won the first People's Choice Award given to a citizen mapper by Draw the Lines PA, representing what school?
Q) On January 22, 2018, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court declared that Pennsylvania’s 2011 U.S. congressional districting map violated the Pennsylvania Constitution. What was different about the new map drawn tor the 2018 primary?
Q) In Pennsylvania, the patron saint of efforts to combat gerrymandering, the piano teacher living outside of Allentown, is who?
Q) Created by Gov. Wolf in 2018, what was the goal of the PA Redistricting Reform Commission?
Q) On the way to becoming a law, how many days must a bill be considered by the full House before moving on to the Senate for a vote?
Q) Why does the PA Constitution determine how many days a bill must be considered before taking a vote on final passage?
Q) Pennsylvania’s history can often be revealed in the name of its counties? What is the origin of Westmoreland County?
Q) Pennsylvanians are called to vote as part of their civic duty in a democratic government. How many days do you have to register to vote before an election?