Draw the Lines video series of Pennsylvanians discussing the Citizens' Map

November 17th, 2021

Draw the Lines is proud to introduce a new video series that will feature the people who helped contribute to the Pennsylvania Citizens' Map and make the case for why PA's elected leaders should avoid the backroom, secretive redistricting process of 2011. Some DTL mappers are senior citizens. Some aren't even seniors in high school. They come from all over PA, with a range of backgrounds. All are focused on a transparent process and better maps than 2011.

Draw the Lines calls on the General Assembly to repair the breakdown in confidence that the people have lost in their elected officials. Over 7,200 citizens have drawn their own districts, and DTL has produced the PA Citizens' Map. The General Assembly must produce a draft map for citizens to review before sending it to Governor Wolf for his signature.

Lauren Ban, a law student at the University of Pittsburgh, is a member of the Draw the Lines Citizen Map Corps. As a former DTL winner, she helped contribute to the PA Citizens' Map, and she is helping us talk about why Pennsylvania should slay the gerrymander.

Draw the Lines Map Corps members and volunteers visited the Capitol in late October to share the Citizens' Map and pass out custom puzzles of the proposed districts, calling on the General Assembly to produce their own map and allow for ample time for public comment.

Jesse Stowell of Harrisburg and Ryan Cedzo of Erie are both DTL competition winners with experience drawing both congressional and legislative districts. They are members of the Draw the Lines Citizen Map Corps, which will be analyzing the maps that emerge from Harrisburg in the coming weeks.

Our first video features with Susan Wood, from Lebanon County, and Stephen Fowler from State College.