Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners at its meeting Feb. 13 officially declared it is time to put an end to gerrymandering - voting districts drawn up by the state legislature that strongly favor those in elective state legislative and congressional offices.

The commissioners unanimously adopted a resolution to ask the state to assign the task of both legislative and congressional redistricting to an independent citizens redistricting commission.

Commissioners President Phillips Armstrong, who ran for a state House of Representatives seat in November, serving the 183rd legislative district, said he saw firsthand his own district is carved politically. Republican Zach Mako won in the general election and now holds that 183rd seat.

“Whitehall Township is about to become the very first in the Lehigh Valley to take on the issue,” Armstrong said before the vote was taken.

He mentioned Pennsylvania has the dubious distinction of being last in the entire country in dealing with redistricting.

According to the board, an impartial independent citizens redistricting commission, devoid of political motivation or partisanship, will help to ensure a fair and accurate legislative and congressional redistricting process that respects political subdivisions and communities of interest. The new system would prohibit districts from being drawn to favor or discriminate against a political party or candidate, promote transparency or use impartial and sound methodology when setting district boundaries.

“Transparency is what such reforms are all about,” Armstrong said.

The audience clapped in support of the board’s action, one woman stepping up to see how she can help with such an effort.