In the days after the Pa. Supreme Court released its new congressional map, students in Jon Kimmel’s 8th grade math class huddled around computers to analyze the changes. The class has been closely following the twists and turns of a case that could have an impact on the balance of power in Washington D.C. In January, the Democratic-majority court ruled that the congressional map created in 2011, in a process controlled by Republicans, was an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander. The court found that the old map deprived voters of their right to “free and equal” elections and was designed to give Republicans an unfair advantage, while diluting Democrats’ votes.
“Teenagers are finely tuned to injustice,” said Kimmel, who teaches at the Westtown School in West Chester, Pa. “It’s usually about petty things, but this is about a much bigger thing that actually ends up affecting lots of people.”
After reviewing several proposals from the state’s GOP and Democratic leaders, as well as other parties, the court released its own remedial map for the 2018 congressional election, calling it “superior or comparable to the other submissions.”