No later than 60 days following the official reporting of the Federal decennial census as required by Federal law, the four members shall be certified by the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to the elections officer of the Commonwealth who has supervision over elections.
The Constitution of Pennsylvania requires that the legislative districts for the House of Representatives and the State Senate be redrawn each decade following the federal census. This process is mandated by the Pennsylvania Constitution so that each citizen's vote ultimately carries the same weight in the ballot box.
Article 2, Section 16 of the Pennsylvania Constitution provides for the Commonwealth to be divided into 50 senatorial and 203 representative districts.
Article 2, Section 17 of the Pennsylvania Constitution provides for a Legislative Reapportionment Commission to redistrict both chambers (the state Senate and the state House) in the year following the Federal decennial census. The Commission consists of five members: the four caucus floor leaders, or deputies appointed by each of them, and a chairman to be selected by those members or, if they cannot reach agreement, by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
For contact information for members of the Legislative Reapportionment Commission, please click here.
Timeline
Here's a summary of the timeline for legislative redistricting, which is spelled out in detail in Article 2, Section 17 of the Pennsylvania Constitution:
< 60 Days
< 45 Days
Within 45 days after their certification, the four members shall select the fifth member who shall serve as chairman of the commission.
< 30 Days
If the four members fail to select the fifth member within the time prescribed, a majority of the entire membership of the Supreme Court within 30 days thereafter shall appoint the chairman and certify his appointment to the elections officer of the Commonwealth. Any vacancy in the commission shall be filled within 15 days in the same manner in which such position was originally filled.
< 90 Days
No later than 90 days after either the commission has been duly certified or the population data for the Commonwealth as determined by the Federal decennial census are available, whichever is later in time, the commission shall file a preliminary reapportionment plan with the elections officer of the Commonwealth.
< 30 Days
The commission shall have 30 days after filing the preliminary plan to make corrections in the plan.
< 30 Days
Any person aggrieved by the preliminary plan shall have the same 30-day period to file exceptions with the commission in which case the commission shall have 30 days after the date the exceptions were filed to prepare and file with the elections officer a revised reapportionment plan.
< 30 Days
Any aggrieved person may file an appeal from the final plan directly to the Supreme Court within 30 days after the filing.
For the complete details of the timeline for legislative redistricting, please refer to Article 2, Section 17 of the Pennsylvania Constitution.