No Matter What Party Does It, Gerrymandering is Bad for Ohio
Mike Curtin, a career newspaperman with 38 years at the Columbus Dispatch followed by four years in the Ohio House (2013-2016), wrote the following Op-Ed:
With no federal standard, the continuing battle to curb the evil of gerrymandering must be waged state by state. Ohioans were promised a cure in 2018 and voted 3-to-1 for an amendment to the Ohio Constitution to “end the partisan process for drawing congressional districts,” promote bipartisanship, and create more compact districts.
Unfortunately, the promise of reform proved to be a bait-and-switch. In 2022, Statehouse leaders in charge of the new Ohio Redistricting Commission ignored repeated Ohio Supreme Court rulings invalidating both congressional and state legislative maps.
One glance at the new map of Ohio’s 15 congressional districts reveals meandering, misshapen, anything-but-compact districts gerrymandered for one party’s benefit. This time, to benefit Republicans. For example, the 5th Congressional District stretches from the Indiana border to northeastern Ohio’s Lorain County.
The 4th district needlessly divides Shelby County while marching 150 miles from Fort Loramie to lonely Widowville in Ashland County. At least another five districts are blatantly misshapen.
It’s beyond time Ohioans take charge and deliver a death blow to gerrymandering by adopting a truly independent process for drawing congressional and state legislative maps.