Philip Hensley, 29, has won the inaugural Draw the Lines PA competition with his new interpretation of the state’s congressional map, writes Kevin Tustin for the Delaware County News Network.

The contest invited people to draw Pennsylvania’s 18 congressional districts in a way that would make them fairer and that would curb gerrymandering. The map drawn by Hensley, a Drexel Hill resident, was declared the winner.

It was complimented for being compact and containing competitive districts.

“Philip was the best among the mappers we evaluated at creating a balanced map,” wrote the judges.

Hensley won $5,000 for his efforts. He first claimed the eastern region title before being crowned the statewide adult champion.

Hensley, who holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from McGill University, is a political campaign consultant. He decided to enter the Draw the Lines PA competition last year, while working on Democrat Dan Muroff’s campaign for congress.

“What I chose to focus on was making districts more competitive, which, I think, everyone understands intuitively is key to having democratic accountability,” said Hensley.

Read more about the winning map from the Delaware County News Network by clicking here.

[uam_ad id=”62465″]