COMMONWEALTH OF 
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
HARRISBURG

THE GOVERNOR

February '13, 2018

The Honorable Joseph Scarnati The Honorable Mike Turzai

President Pro Tempore I Speaker

Senate of House of Representatives
292 Main Capitol Building 139 Main Capitol Building

Harrisburg, PA 17120 Harrisburg, PA 17120

Dear President Pro Tempore Scarnati and Speaker Turzai:

I am writing to inform you that I cannot accept the map you provided to me on Friday,
February 9, as it does not comply with the Court?s order or the Constitution.

Since the Court?s order more than three weeks ago, I have travelled across 
and heard directly from residents about their concerns regarding the redistricting process. They
want fair maps, and a system that puts people before politicians.

The solution to this problem is laid out by the Court?s orders and majority opinion: Make
maps that are logical and compact and that do not provide speci?c partisan advantages to any
political party or politicians.

Unfortunately, your submission does not meet the demands of the people of 
the Court?s orders and majority opinion, or Constitution.

The General Assembly did not meet the February 9 deadline of the Supreme
Court?s January 22 order. The proposed map'was not legislation passed by the General Assembly.
The General Assembly never considered or voted upon it. However, if the General Assembly had
properly enacted the proposed map, I still would not accept this because the same issues the Court
sought to address remain.

Mathematical analysis of the map shows that, like the 201 1 map, it subsumes traditional
redistricting principles to partisan ends. Non-partisan experts have concluded already that this map
provides the same partisan advantages as the current map.

My primary concerns involve tactics employed in crafting this map, as they were in the
current one that was found unconstitutional:

0 Packing: The map squeezes densely populated areas into the small districts while having
no respect for municipal lines;

The Honorable Joseph Scarnati and The Honorable Mike Turzai
February 13, 2018
Page Two

0 Cracking: Cities like Reading and Erie are irrationally connected to rural areas to dilute
their interests; 

Splitting: Key areas are divided up against the Court?s order, particularly Montgomery
County (split four times) and the Greater Wilkes-Barre area (divided without explanation);

I Maintaining Unconstitutional Districts: Per your own admission, the map keeps nearly
70 percent of residents in districts the Court found unconstitutional.

Lastly, I ?nd the claim that this map ?reduces confusion? by keeping almost 70 percent of
voters in their current districts to be dubious at best. This serves no legal purpose, was not a
requirement of the Court and voters will have months and many means to obtain information on
candidates and the districts before voting.

While I remain open to discussions with the General Assembly, 1 do not believe your
submission complies with this Court?s order or the Constitution. I remain hopeful
that the General Assembly, as a body, can submit a fair map to me for my consideration.

Sincerely,



TOM WOLF
Governor