The Committee of Seventy has for several years -- along with tens of thousands of Pennsyvlvanians and many of you -- called for an independent commission to draw our congressional and legislative maps in 2021. The window of opportunity for such reform around who draws political districts is nearly closed. But there is still time to address the what and the how of redistricting, which can still significantly mitigate the risk of gerrymandering and bolster public trust in the process.
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Filed under: testimony
This Legislature acted decisively earlier this year in passing Act 12 to postpone the April 28 primary and grant counties relief to administer the election amid the exploding pandemic. Anticipating historic turnout under these extraordinary circumstances, the risk of disastrous problems in running polls and counting ballots increases substantially without a final set of critical changes to the Election Code.
The Committee of Seventy urges you to return to session as soon as possible to enact the following:
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Filed under: testimony
Even with our best efforts in the June 2 primary, thousands of voters had difficulty traveling to their local polling place or returning their ballot in the mail; poll workers ‒ many of them senior citizens ‒ stayed home with health concerns; and a few close races took more than a week to decide. Pennsylvania needs one final volley of refinements to key parts of our 1930s-era Election Code to prepare for another unprecedented election in November.
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Filed under: testimony
The opportunity to administer a robust vote-by-mail program and safe in-person voting infrastructure is still possible, but time is running short, and the Office of the City Commissioners, city and state officials, election experts, and community advocates will have to work together closely unlike any previous election cycle. Failure to achieve this collaboration risks calamity in November.
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Filed under: testimony
For more than 30 thirty years, the Committee of Seventy and Pennsylvanians for Moderns Courts have supported merit-selection for our commonwealth’s appellate courts. And we are deeply concerned about the flood of money entering judicial elections, a worsening trend that led to a record-shattering $21 million in 2015 and contributes to the politicization of our courts. But transforming the judiciary into something more closely resembling a legislature is the absolute wrong direction.
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Filed under: testimony
As Philadelphians respond firmly with the rest of the country to the killing of George Floyd and so many other people of color, we applaud City Council for beginning to move swiftly and on multiple fronts to address systemic racism within City government and, in particular, within law enforcement.
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Filed under: testimony
Committee of Seventy policy director, Pat Christmas, shares testimony with City Council around a proposal to amend the City of Philadelphia’s political activity rules in the Home Rule Charter, section 10-107.
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Filed under: testimony
Committee of Seventy policy director, Pat Christmas, shares testimony with City Council around a proposal to amend the City of Philadelphia’s political activity rules in the Home Rule Charter, section 10-107.
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Filed under: testimony
The Committee of Seventy was founded in 1904 by business and civic leaders who understood that representative, ethical and effective government are essential to the health and future of Philadelphia. Much has been accomplished, but there remains a distance to go in building a fully vibrant local democracy and trustworthy government.
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Filed under: testimony
Tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians, many of whom have been rallied by Fair Districts PA, have lent their time, energy and personal resources to the cause of redistricting reform. They’ve spoken forcefully to their lack of trust in a process where elected officials draw political maps and insist that their representatives act to pass reform. Now is the time to act.
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Filed under: testimony
The mission of Draw the Lines PA is to show that the people of Pennsylvania are ready, willing and able to take on a core task of democracy: drawing election maps. And to prove that, given the chance, they’ll do it better than those who have been doing it, the politicians and partisan operatives.
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Filed under: testimony
This is not our first endeavor to improve redistricting in local or state government, but never before have we been more concerned about this critical democratic process.
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Filed under: testimony
Seventy has watched with dismay as successive waves of partisan map-drawing have crippled our ability to govern, turned voters even more cynical, and left our Commonwealth as a national poster child for partisan abuse. There is no perfect solution, but action is needed.
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Filed under: testimony
Committee of Seventy CEO David Thornburgh testified before the Philadelphia City Council Committee on Legislative Oversight on February 21 to discuss the benefits of lowering the wage tax and the Job Growth Coalition's game-changing proposal that will be reintroduced to the Legislature soon.
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Filed under: testimony
City Councilman Allan Domb recently proposed an amendment that would allow any Councilmember to request Fiscal Impact Statements on non-appropriations bills. The Committee of Seventy agreed that making this information more accessible is an important step in the right direction to address the fiscal challenges that still face the City.
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