After months of hearings, negotiations, rallies and maneuvering, redistricting reform has passed the Pennsylvania Senate — but with additional language that has upturned the debate.

SB 22 was moved to the House by a 35-14 vote today. Only two Democrats — Sen. Lisa Boscola (Northampton) and Sen. Andrew Dinniman (Chester) voted for the bill.

By a 31-18 vote, the Senate today passed an amendment to have appeals court members elected by district instead of at large by the state.

Under the new language, the General Assembly would pass enabling legislation to set up the transition from the current maps — or lack thereof — and into districts for judges.

Six Democratic Senators voted against an amended redistricting bill during a procedural committee stop Wednesday, signalling their opposition to a bill that had previously advanced with unanimous support.

This doesn’t mean the bill is dead. In fact, every Appropriations Committee Republican, who have a supermajority in the Senate, voted in favor of SB 22.

Redistricting won its first vote in the General Assembly Tuesday to the applause of advocates packing the room.

A compromise amendment forged by Senate State Government Committee Chair Mike Folmer (R-Lebanon) and redistricting advocates led by Fair Districts PA was added onto SB 22, then passed by all members in attendance.

In front of a packed room of redistricting reformists on March 28, Sen. Richard Alloway (R-Franklin) brought up a fresh point in the contentious row over how to change Pennsylvania’s elections: open primaries.

Alloway’s suggestion came as he tried to make sense of Sen. Lisa Boscola’s (D-Northampton) bill, SB 22, to start a non-partisan redistricting commission.