Redistricting and the importance of voting this Nov.

Following the historic elections of last November, it may seem as if this coming November’s elections are not important. Because of the upcoming 2010 Census and “redistricting” however, this November is in many ways even more critical to the rights of LGBT people. It is as important as ever to get out and vote this November! The next 10 years of equality efforts in large part depend on this November’s elections because of something called “redistricting.”

The race for the State Supreme Court in Pennsylvania will be very important because of the serious impact it can have in supporting the rights of LGBT people. We can see from examples in other state’s Supreme Courts (e.g. California, Massachusetts and Vermont) that the state court plays an important role in upholding the constitutional rights of LGBT people. More critical to Pennsylvania, however, is “redistricting.”

Right now, there are three Republicans and three Democrats on the PA Supreme Court. The seventh open seat will be decided Nov. 3 and will either be Joan Orie Melvin or Jack Panella.

Joan Orie Melvin is the sister of Senator Jane Orie who is a leader of anti-LGBT equality efforts in the PA Senate.

Jack Panella, the Democratic candidate, has been endorsed by Steel-City Stonewall Democrats and is great on our issues. You can read his responses to our questions on the Steel-City website. Who do you want making decisions for you over the next 10 years?

Our influence over the next 10 years comes down to the results of the 2010 census, the way voting districts are then redrawn and who then is likely to get voted in to represent those districts. Based on the census and the number of people living in a certain area, a voting district can potentially be redrawn to include a substantial portion of Republican voters or a substantial portion of Democratic voters, thereby impacting the results of elections over the next 10 years (until the next 2020 census).

The winner of this year’s State Supreme Court race may likely take a leadership role in how this redistricting is done and determining where the new voting districts lines are drawn.

After redistricting, are we going to have a majority of districts that are likely to vote progressive? Are we going to have a majority of districts likely to vote a progressive legislator in?

The person elected to the State Supreme Court will have a significant impact upon the lives of LGBT people across the state for years to come.

We need to make sure that the next person elected to the court supports the rights and lives of LGBT people.

We need to make sure that Judge Jack Panella (he’s currently a judge in the PA Superior Court) is elected to the PA Supreme Court. It is in some ways as important as last year’s presidential elections.

We will then finally have a State Supreme Court that truly reflects the concerns of the LGBT community.

Please go to the Steel-City Stonewall Democrats website at www.steel-city.org for updated information on this important race and information on progressive candidates being endorsed by Steel-City Stonewall Democrats. And don’t forget to vote on Nov. 3!

Dana Elmendorf, President,

 Steel-City Stonewall Democrats