County residents will soon be able to voice their opinions and make suggestions regarding a matter that will determine who is representing them in Congress.

State Rep. Tim Bonner announced this week that he will host the first regional hearing on congressional redistricting later this month. The hearing — scheduled at 9 a.m. Aug. 24 at Grove City College’s Pew Fine Arts Center — will give attendees the chance to testify on how they believe congressional lines should be drawn for the next 10 years.

Pennsylvania will lose one congressional seat because of the results of the 2020 Census. The state’s representation in the U.S. House of Representatives will drop from 18 to 17 districts.

Once per decade, information gathered through the Census determines the number of representatives each state is entitled to send to the House based on population. This is one of the reasons why there’s such an emphasis to get the Census count right. The inability to do so leads to an imbalance in representation and the loss of services.

Once the state’s congressional seat is eliminated, districts will be redrawn to ensure equal and fair representation based on the constitutional principle of “one person, one vote,” Bonner said.

Any resident who chooses to speak during the hearing later this month or provide information online will be able to propose a congressional district map for consideration as well as help to define the district’s lines through their testimony.

This is a great opportunity for county residents to have a say in how the state’s congressional districts are drawn and, as a result, who represents them.

We urge anyone with an interest in the matter to sign up online by Aug. 18 at paredistricting.com to testify or submit testimony (on that same website) by Oct. 13.

It’s often said that casting one’s vote is among the most important things you can do for your community. Some would said to do so is your civic duty.

The upcoming redistricting hearing is another chance to do the same. We hope county residents take advantage of this great opportunity.

— NCD