Trial Weighs Whether If Redistricting Hurts Voters
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Democratic voters who are suing over Pennsylvania's map of congressional districts say they don't have the same voice with their representatives as they would in more evenly balanced districts.
But they acknowledged during a trial Tuesday that they have never been blocked from voting, contributing to candidates they support, speaking out politically or trying to reach members of Congress.
The voters want a three-judge federal panel to throw out a congressional map that was drawn in 2011, arguing that there should be no consideration of political outcomes when lawmakers decide on new maps.
Tuesday was the first time the judges heard testimony from plaintiffs in the case.
They also heard conflicting views from expert witnesses on whether the current map was more gerrymandered than the one a decade earlier.
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