"Legislative Reapportionment Commission."

Based on the name, Pennsylvanians might assume that the panel will be dedicated to drawing legislative lines — based on this year's national census — in the fairest, most logical way.

The 2010-11 state budget allocates $2.4 million for the commission, which will consist of four legislative leaders and a fifth person of their choosing.

They will re-draw legislative districts next year, after the process of completing the 2010 national — and, thus, also the state's — people count is complete. The new legislative lines will remain in place until after the 2020 census.

But based on what happened 10 years ago, residents of this state have little reason for optimism that the redistricting next year will be fair. From a glance at the state Senate and House districts maps that the reapportionment commission produced nearly a decade ago, it's clear, from the shapes of many of the districts, that they weren't drawn based on logic but, instead, on gaining political advantage.

According to Democracy Rising PA, which tracks the business of the Legislature, 10 years ago the commission in question gave the Keystone State the second-most-gerrymandered legislative districts in America.

Not only can gerrymandering give one political party a majority of voters in as many districts as possible, but it also can weaken the voting strength of an ethnic or racial group or urban population.

When people go to the polls on Election Day, few reflect on the fact that the results of legislative races have, in many cases, been virtually predetermined by the actions of a legislative reapportionment panel that acted years prior to their current voting.

Most people believe that voters choose their elected officials, but with gerrymandered districts, the officials choose their voters. That is a reason why it is so difficult in this state to defeat an incumbent House or Senate member. Once elected, except in rare instances, a House or Senate seat is his or hers to keep as long as he or she wishes to do so.

Voters who value the premise of fair elections should look suspiciously at all districts whose lines fail to exhibit any logic.

Evidence of gerrymandering is especially evident in Senate and House districts in the eastern part of Pennsylvania, especially around Philadelphia.

Will the new version of the Legislative Reapportionment Commission do a better — fairer — job than its predecessor commission a decade ago? That remains to be seen, but no right-thinking state resident should be too optimistic.

Since the last round of reapportionment, lawmakers have rejected every attempt to improve on that panel's poor performance.

"Legislative Reapportionment Commission": It's an important-sounding name, but it hides the basis for mistrust that encompasses it.

Pennsylvania deserves better in the next round of reapportionment than it got last time.

Keystone State lawmakers in 2011 should reject any thought of keeping this commonwealth's dubious gerrymandering record, or to "advance" to most-gerrymandered state in the nation.