Ohio Has a Chance to Create Fairer Districts
By Dennis J. Willard
Beacon Journal Columbus Bureau
Published on Wednesday, Jan 13, 2010

COLUMBUS: In the face of a once-in-a-decade chance to improve the political landscape in Ohio, Democrats and Republicans instead are gripped with gambler's fever. The correct step at this time in state history would be to ask voters to amend the Ohio Constitution to remove the overtly partisan manner in which legislative districts are redrawn after each decennial census.
 

For 40 years, Ohio has constructed and run a disgraceful gerrymandering process that is a throwback to politics of an unenlightened era.
Today, the two parties are not sure which one will prevail this November in three key races: for governor, auditor and secretary of state. Winning two of those three seats ensures control of the State Apportionment Board. Instead of using that uncertainty to bring both sides to the table to remove political manipulation from the district-drawing process, the two parties greedily are weighing their chances of scoring big at the Election Day craps table this fall, with the winners being able to carve districts to control the Ohio General Assembly from 2012 through 2022.

The next three weeks will determine whether we have competitive and compact legislative districts in which cities are not divided in two, or counties in three pieces. Lawmakers have until Feb. 3 to pass a ballot resolution to ensure we have competitive partisan races beginning in November 2012 rather than the current system in which districts are drawn with such demographic finesse that winning a party primary almost assures a candidate's election in the general election. And, most importantly, Ohio lawmakers have the chance to restore the true power to an individual's vote instead of the current practice of stuffing a district with either Democrats or Republicans so that ballots cast by the minority party in a race are rendered meaningless.

But it is a narrow window of opportunity, a mere sliver in time, and House Speaker Armond Budish, D-Beachwood, was not sounding optimistic Tuesday. 'Given all the various concerns and issues, I'm not sure that we'll be able to make the May ballot,' Budish said. 'One problem with going on the November ballot is that it starts to become overwhelmed by politics.' Budish said the House has been working on the issue, and he believes reform is needed.'2010 may be a difficult year to pass redistricting, but we're certainly going to give it a try,' the speaker said. Budish and his fellow Democrats and Republicans in the House, as well as lawmakers in the Ohio Senate, should try a little harder.

The League of Women Voters of Ohio has demonstrated that a fairer system that protects a citizen's vote can be accomplished.
The group's proposal would be to have a competition to draw new legislative districts with the plans being judged on four criteria: are they competitive, compact, representational and are communities whole or divided?

As it exists, Ohio has a system where one party has a majority on the apportionment board, or gerrymandering panel, and that party hires some politicos and computer geeks to examine voting patterns, precinct by precinct, to draw districts with predictable outcomes.
The boundaries make no sense except to parties that want to control the legislature.

Ohio is a moderate state that is somewhat evenly split among Democrats, Republicans and independents.
But since the gerrymandering process was hatched four decades ago, there have been legislative sessions in which the party that drew the lines has held as many as 61 of 99 seats in the Ohio House.

Ann Henkener, legislative director for the league, said reforming the system would mean a more balanced legislature that would be truly representative of Ohio. 'We're a 50-50 state. We would expect districts to be drawn to represent the balance in Ohio,' Henkener said.
She said the gerrymandering process produces artificial outcomes in elections. 'It stacks the deck. It produces representatives who are different than the voters in the aggregate,' Henkener said. 'I want my representatives to look more like the voting public.'
The most disturbing aspect of this issue is that I have yet to talk to any lawmaker who endorses the current system — on the record, on background or off the record.
 

Lawmakers know it is deeply flawed and undemocratic to continue gerrymandering legislative districts. But they seemingly cannot help themselves. Sure, they could give voters a chance to amend the Ohio Constitution to pass historic and positive reform, but have you seen the odds on their party winning two of those three statewide offices this fall?

Now, that's some sweet action.

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Dennis J. Willard can be reached at 614-224-1613 or dwillard@thebeaconjournal.com.