Slower-than-normal census data could impact Pennsylvania's upcoming redistricting process, Spotlight PA and Votebeat report, with a delay of the 2022 primary on the table and advocates fearing a less-transparent map-making process.

The U.S. Census Bureau said last week it can’t release the population figures needed for redistricting until Sept. 30, because of pandemic-related setbacks. 

If lawmakers wait until then to begin the once-in-a-decade drawing of Pennsylvania’s legislative and congressional lines, one top lawmaker said a delay of the 2022 primary may be necessary. That's because the maps must be completed before candidates can start filing to run in that election.

At the same time, anti-gerrymandering advocates fear the slowdown may be used to fast-track the process at the expense of transparency and public input.

THE CONTEXT: As Spotlight PA previously reported, redistricting is shaping up to be the definitive political fight of 2021, with the state set to lose a congressional seat, partisanship peaking in Harrisburg, and a bevy of challenge options in play.  

All of this is happening against a backdrop of heightened redistricting scrutiny, with advocates and lawmakers warning against gerrymandered political boundaries that dilute the votes of "racial and language minorities." 

Carol Kuniholm, chairperson of Fair Districts PA, said lawmakers should commit to collecting public comments before the data is released then holding meetings via Zoom. "That’s all completely doable in the time frame they have if they plan ahead and they commit to doing a transparent public process," she said.

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ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE MYSELF: I’m Colin Deppen, Spotlight PA’s first-ever newsletter editor. I'll be writing and hand-delivering this and other Spotlight PA newsletters to your inbox now, and I want to hear from you, loyal readers. Reach out with tips, feedback, and tomato pie recipes at cdeppen@spotlightpa.org. 

ICE STORM COMETH? A big winter storm was due to sweep across the commonwealth overnight, dropping all manner of slippery stuff on the roads. Accumulations of freezing rain, snow, and ice were possible from Pittsburgh to Harrisburg to Philadelphia. Be safe out there if you’re traveling. 

PARK IT: Is the parking chair — that staple of wintertime city living — ethical? I tried to answer this question a few years back by consulting an ethics professor and written works by philosophers like John Locke. The short answer? It depends.

FASNACHT COMPANY: Today is Fasnacht Day, a Pennsylvania Dutch tradition that involves making and consuming copious amounts of fried doughnuts to cleanse cabinets before the austerity of Lent begins. The bad news? The Reading Eagle says they’ll be harder to find this year due to the pandemic. The good news? LancasterOnline tells you how to make your own.

VEEP SHOW: There has been one vice president from Pennsylvania. His name was George Dallas, and he served as Philadelphia mayor, attorney general of Pennsylvania, and envoy to Russia before, as the Observer-Reporter puts it, “joining the ranks of the little-remembered men in the 19th century who stumbled into the vice presidency and went no further.”