Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District – which encompasses parts of five counties, including Chester County – is often cited as a textbook case of gerrymandering, writes Wallace McKelvey for the Harrisburg Patriot-News.

David Daley, publisher of The Connecticut Mirror and author of a book on gerrymandering, described the unusual shape of the Philadelphia-area district as Disney’s Goofy kicking Donald Duck.

“The only point that’s essentially contiguous there is Goofy’s foot and Donald’s rear end,” he said.

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The border of the district that is currently represented by Republican Pat Meehan has a jagged shape that stretches across Chester, Montgomery, Delaware, Lancaster, and Berks counties.

The most recent map of the district was drawn six years ago. Despite numerous previous changes, the cartoon-character shape only emerged with the latest change, adding some levity to the very serious matter of district adjustments.

Its unusual shape also means that it avoids major population centers such as Chester and Reading. This helps balance the impact of the mostly Democratic voters in the city suburbs, with the largely conservative voters that dominate rural Lancaster and Berks counties.

Read more about the 7th Congressional District in the Harrisburg Patriot-News here.

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