Editor:
I’m writing to express my opposition to House Bill 2207, the Republican plan to change the way state legislative districts are drawn.
For two decades, Republicans in the state House and Senate have benefited from some of the most gerrymandered legislative districts in the country. Now they are angry because the Legislative Reapportionment Committee is about to adopt fair election districts that only give them a slight advantage and don’t prioritize incumbent protection.
The only process to draw election districts Republicans will accept is one that makes it impossible for them to lose control of the House and Senate.
HB 2207 would create a fake “citizens redistricting commission” that would be under control of legislative leaders. And it gives the incumbent House and Senate members the ultimate power to draw their own districts.
This bill is the most cynical, dishonest, and unprincipled piece of legislation in the history of the General Assembly. If only one party can win elections, we do not live in a democracy but under tyranny.
Our state representatives must vote against HB 2207.
Kevin Hefty
West Reading
