Rep. Brian Sims hails bipartisan support for redistricting reform

'As President Obama said, politicians shouldn't pick their voters'

HARRISBURG, March 16 – State Rep. Brian Sims, D-Phila., a strong advocate for redistricting reform, hailed today's bipartisan show of support at the Capitol for changing how state legislative and congressional district lines are drawn in Pennsylvania.

"As President Obama said in his latest State of the Union address, politicians shouldn't pick their voters – voters should be picking their politicians," Sims said.

"Some attribute bipartisan interest in redistricting reform to Democrats winning a majority on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. I say that, just as with the medical marijuana bill finally receiving consideration in the House, the important thing is achieving progress for Pennsylvanians. Senator Daylin Leach has shown that it's possible to turn the 13-5 Republican congressional map of Pennsylvania into an equally outrageous 13-5 Democratic map. The bottom line is: I welcome the bipartisan support for redistricting reform and I believe we can build on it.

"We have a congressional district in southeastern Pennsylvania that has been compared to an oil spill or Goofy kicking Donald Duck, and several others in our state that are almost as bad.

"I'm working in a new partnership across state lines since that provides the extra advantage of canceling out major swings in party advantage. This ought to be about what's best for all voters – about making sure your state legislators and members of Congress can be held accountable.

"People are frustrated with Harrisburg and Washington, and this is something we can do about it."