When Pennsylvania voters go to the polls Tuesday, they will be electing members of the Pennsylvania Legislature based on the district boundaries that were created after the 2000 Census. Technically, they should be voting in new House and Senate districts drawn, as required by law, to reflect 2010 Census population figures.
Because the first redistricting plan that was approved by the Pennsylvania Legislative Reapportionment Commission was thrown out earlier this year by the state Supreme Court, new districts could not be finalized in time for the 2012 primary. Therefore, the new House and Senate districts will not go into effect until the 2014 election.
After the court nullified the first plan, the
reapportionment commission approved a revised plan.
The new plan, like the one that was rejected by the court, keeps the Shamokin-Mount Carmel area in the 107th District and the 27th Senatorial District, where they have been for more than four decades.
The major local change in the plan that is scheduled to take effect in 2014 in the addition of Shamokin Township to the 107th District. Also added to the 107th are Jordan, Upper Mahanoy and Washington townships in Northumberland County and Locust Township in Columbia County.
The "new" 107th district, according to the latest plan, will consist of Cleveland, Conyngham, Franklin and Locust townships, Centralia and the portion of Ashland in Columbia County; all of Montour County and the Northumberland County municipalities of Shamokin City, Kulpmont, Marion Heights and Mount Carmel boroughs and Coal, East Cameron, Jordan, Mount Carmel, Ralpho, Shamokin, Upper Mahanoy, Washington, West Cameron and Zerbe townships. Total population is 64,693.
The 108th Legislative District, which includes the Sunbury and Milton areas, as well as some municipalities within the Line Mountain School District, will now include additional municipalities in Snyder County. Currently, only Shamokin Dam and Monroe Township are in the 108th.
All of Northumberland County will remain in the 27th Senatorial District. Under its new boundaries, the 27th will lose municipalities in northern Dauphin County and pick up additional municipalities in Luzerne County.
The 27th District, as of the 2014 election, is scheduled to consist of all of Columbia, Montour, Northumberland and Snyder counties, and the borough of Conyngham, Nescopeck and New Columbus and townships of Black Creek, Butler, Fairmount, Huntington, Nescopeck, Salem and Sugarloaf in Luzerne County. Total population is 247,893.
These latest "final" district boundaries are pending the Supreme Court's ruling on additional challenges.