The first congressional district of Pennsylvania is unremarkable in the main, but it illustrates perfectly the flaw in the non-stop charges of the left about gerrymandering. If you watch MSNBC, you are told often that the reason Republicans hold the majority of the House of Representatives is that the districts are rigged so that Republicans will win. Actually, the truth is that Democrats rigged the districts in the Voting Rights Act to guarantee certain seats would be Democrat, and that lumped all the Democrats together and hurt that party.
But let's get back to the 1st district of PA. A map of the district shows that it winds along the shore of the Delaware River through Philadelphia and then continues down to Chester.
Under the Voting Rights Act, the Pennsylvania Legislature is required to draw the district so that a majority of its residents are minorities. The 1st district complies. It is about 37% white and 63% minority. No Republican has won the district since before the Voting Rights Act was passed over 50 years ago.
With all those Democrats crammed into one district, it is not surprising that there are a great many Republicans pushed into other districts. The end result is that nearby districts are more Republican while the 1st district is overwhelmingly Democrat. But here's the key point: were the 1st district drawn otherwise, it would constitute a violation of federal law.
But let's get back to the 1st district of PA. A map of the district shows that it winds along the shore of the Delaware River through Philadelphia and then continues down to Chester.
Under the Voting Rights Act, the Pennsylvania Legislature is required to draw the district so that a majority of its residents are minorities. The 1st district complies. It is about 37% white and 63% minority. No Republican has won the district since before the Voting Rights Act was passed over 50 years ago.
With all those Democrats crammed into one district, it is not surprising that there are a great many Republicans pushed into other districts. The end result is that nearby districts are more Republican while the 1st district is overwhelmingly Democrat. But here's the key point: were the 1st district drawn otherwise, it would constitute a violation of federal law.
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