Pennsylvania House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff, a member of the Legislative Reapportionment Commission, voted against a proposal Tuesday to reallocate how some state prisoners are counted for purposes of state legislative redistricting. Following the vote, Benninghoff released a statement, saying while he has been and remains committed to a fair, open and legal redistricting process, he also strongly believes that the decision as to how state inmates are counted is a policy decision outside the scope of the Legislative Reapportionment Commission’s powers and should only properly be considered by state constitutional amendment or, at the very least, through the legislative process. He said a decision Tuesday by a majority of the commission, and the further delay prisoner reallocation will cause in finalizing population data, causes him now to have serious concerns about the ability for the Legislative Reapportionment Commission to finalize maps on a timeline that would not impact the 2022 primary election date.
