State House boundaries shift with the 2022 election

Keith Gushard, The Meadville Tribune, Pa.
·3 min read

Sep. 7—Unless they participated in this year's May primary, voters in many areas of Crawford County will find in the upcoming November election that they'll be casting ballots for a different state House of Representatives district than they did in the 2020 election.

New state House district boundaries are in effect for the 2022 election with those elected in November to take office in January 2023. Redistricting is required following a federal census every 10 years to account for population shifts within Pennsylvania.

Redistricting didn't impact the county as far as congressional representation or representation in the Pennsylvania Senate.

All of Crawford County remains in Pennsylvania's 16th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, and all of the county remains part of Pennsylvania's 50th Senatorial District.

However, boundaries for the county's three state House districts shifted, changing both the shape of the districts and which ones represent the county going forward.

Instead of county residents either being part of the 6th, 17th or 65th districts in the state House, the county's districts will be 6th, 64th and 65th starting with the 2022 election.

The redrawn state House 17th District no longer includes Crawford County — now stopping at the border of Mercer and Crawford counties.

In Crawford County, redistricting has the newly redrawn House 6th District area shift to encompass the Meadville and Cochranton areas and all of western Crawford County and part of western Erie County; the redrawn 64th District comes north out of Venango County to include the Titusville area and southeastern Crawford County; and the redrawn House 65th District shifts farther west to add north central and northeastern Crawford County including the boroughs Cambridge Springs and Saegertown.

In the state House 6th District, Brad Roae, a Republican from East Mead Township and the incumbent, is being challenged by Nerissa Galt, a Democrat from Hayfield Township.

In the state House 64th District, R. Lee James, a Republican from Oil City, is the incumbent representative. There is no Democratic candidate on the ballot.

In the state House 65th District, Kathy Rapp, a Republican from Warren and the incumbent representative, is seeking reelection. There is no Democratic candidate on the ballot.

—State House: Boundaries and numbers for the three Pennsylvania House districts that represent Crawford County have changed for the 2022 election. Those elected this year will take office in January 2023. Below are the municipalities represented by the 6th, 64th and 65th districts in the state House.

—6th District: In Crawford County, the city of Meadville; the boroughs of Cochranton, Conneaut Lake, Conneautville, Linesville and Springboro; and the townships of Beaver, Conneaut, East Fairfield, East Fallowfield, East Mead, Fairfield, Greenwood, Hayfield, North Shenango, Pine, Randolph, Sadsbury, South Shenango, Spring, Summerhill, Summit, Union, Vernon, Wayne, West Fallowfield, West Mead and West Shenango.

In Erie County, the boroughs of Albion and Cranesville, and the townships of Conneaut, Elk Creek and Springfield.

—64th District: In Crawford County, the city of Titusville; the boroughs of Hydetown and Townville; and the township of Oil Creek, Rome, Steuben and Troy, plus all of Venango County.

—65th District: In Crawford County, the boroughs of Blooming Valley, Cambridge Springs, Centerville, Saegertown, Spartansburg, Venango and Woodcock; and the townships of Athens, Bloomfield, Cambridge, Cussewago, Richmond, Rockdale, Sparta, Venango and Woodcock, plus all of Forest and Warren counties.

Keith Gushard can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at kgushard@meadvilletribune.com.