And I truly believe were standing at a precipice of creating fair systems for voting and representation that could give Black Ohioans the political power unjustly denied for so long. The court compared this with average statewide vote shares of 54% for Republicans and 46% for Democrats. As the special election on August 8th draws near, just a few thoughts about Ohios current political state. Monitor readers responded, offering support and helping to change the trajectory of many girls in Malawi and that of Xanthe herself.Twenty years later, after a period in which Xanthe founded the organization Advancing Girls Education in Africa (AGE Africa) and then handed it to others, Xanthe realized it was time to plumb more deeply the meaning of everything she and others had built.Change comes back to, How can we understand one another? she says.On her return, Xanthe saw the power of a word she thinks about often: agency. Fair Districts Ohio fights gerrymandering - thedemlabs.org You can also contribute via. improve functionality and performance. This measure would have given the bipartisan commission complete control over the redistricting process. It restricts how often counties and other local governmental units in the state can be split up in the new map, and declares that any plan must not unduly favor or disfavor a political party or its incumbents. But history also teaches us to be hopeful. In the long-term, advocates for reform lost what would have been an added insurance policy to keep the politicians from straying too far from a logical map in 2021, when for the first time they will draw districts under voter-approved rules for a fairer process. 50% Off Unlimited Digital Access. Reform efforts meet reality. This makes Ohio a red state. This article first appeared in The Columbus Dispatch. The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ruled, 5-4, in cases from Maryland and North Carolina that political gerrymandering is not something for federal courts to decide. Now, any future lawsuits will have to be taken through Ohio's state Supreme Court. If lawmakers still cant reach an agreement, they will be allowed to pass a congressional plan by a simple majority vote, but it would only be in effect for four years instead of the usual 10. Top Ohio court strikes down state's gerrymandered - POLITICO Fair Districts Ohio filed a lawsuit in 2019 arguing that Ohio's 2011 gerrymandered congressional districts were unconstitutional. The average margin of victory in Ohio congressional races in the four general elections with the current map have ranged from 17 to 71 percentage points. Ohio voters approved of these changes, 71% to 29%. Reader support helps keep our explainers free for all. Two decisions in the closing days of the Supreme Court's term, Gill v. Whitford and Abbott v. Perez, have raised barriers to proving claims of gerrymandering. subscription yet. Because he was Black, he had to guess the number of jelly beans in a jar before being allowed to cast his ballot. it is organizing Fair Maps Day on Tuesday, September 21 where people across Ohio come together at the StateHouse to demand FAIR MAPS. Ohio primary elections 2018: the race to replace Gov. The maps were drawn shrewdly, based on previous voting patterns. Press two for Ohio showtimes: The Barbenheimer crazy has hit Ohio's Senate delegation. I've lived in Ohio almost 50 years . Advocates opposed to gerrymandering rally outside the Ohio Supreme Court, Dec. 8, 2021, in Columbus. Yet unlike in many other GOP-controlled gerrymandered states, reform has come on the agenda in Ohio in recent years. The only question is will there be a veto-proof supermajority, he says. Ohio strikes blow against gerrymandering - The Conversation Learn how you can do more to strengthen democracy. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. The maps rob Black Americans of their political power and undermine the will of voters. Oops. The congressional map that the court rejected would have created 11 Republican-leaning seats and two safe seats for Democrats, along with two competitive seats. Thanks to the hard work of redistricting reformers all over the state, voters approved a historic state constitutional amendment that will institute strong protections against the congressional partisan gerrymandering. As Democratic state chair, he also raised money to help elect more Democrats to the Ohio Supreme Court. It includes a press conference, march around the statehouse, speeches, and lobby visits. They controlled the redistricting process in the state in 2011 and have consistently won 12 of the states 16 congressional seats while winning around 50 percent of the vote. The coalition includesCommon Cause Ohio, theLeague of Women Voters of Ohio,Ohio A. Philip Randolph Institute, theOhio Council of Churches, and theOhio Voter Rights Coalition. "Ohioans never gave up on the fight to end the manipulation of congressional districts for political advantage and today our efforts paid off," said Catherine Turcer, executive director of Common Cause Ohio. And thats what this does. On Tuesday, then, we will see if Ohio voters agree. Original post: A strange thing will happen during Tuesdays Ohio primary election: One of the most pro-Republican-gerrymandered states in the country will put an actual bipartisan deal to reform gerrymandering in front of its voters. He also plays down the impact of the courts rejection of the Republican-drawn maps, given the favorable political environment for Republicans right now in a state they already dominate. If the commission splits a county, municipal corporation or township between districts, it must explain its actions in a statement accompanying the map. After egregiously aggressive GOP gerrymandering in 2011, Ohio voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment in 2015 that set new guardrails on the practice when it came to drawing . Ohio lawmakers approving the new congressional map in 2021 will be legislators elected from currently gerrymandered Statehouse districts. But this has not been true for communities of color, who have continued to be packed and cracked into the same number of districts despite growth. COLUMBUS - In a nation complaining about congressional gerrymandering and rigged elections, Ohio just voted to do something about it. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. In 4-3 rulings, with the Republican chief justice acting as the swing vote, the court rejected the maps, saying they did not reflect the partisan makeup of the state. But even the ACLU of Ohios lead attorney, Freda Levenson, conceded that the federal judges in Ohio now will have no option but to dismiss the case. We created strong rules to end gerrymandering in Ohio! Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. By browsing this site, we may share your information with our social media partners in accordance with our. By passing the ballot measure, called Issue 1, Ohioans amended their state Constitution to create four different pathways to draw congressional districts. Ohio voters passed Issue 1 in 2015 for redistricting reform for Ohio House and Ohio Senate districts. If the commission fails, the job would be tossed back to the Ohio legislature. Ohio voters just made gerrymandering more trouble than it's worth Supreme Court leaves Ohio vulnerable to future gerrymandering, even "The voters shouldn't have to wait until 2022," says Freda Levenson, the legal director for the ACLU of Ohio, of the first election that will be impacted by Issue 1. unless you renew or The Brennan Center crafts innovative policies and fights for them in Congress and the courts. Map designers packed as many Democrats as possible into four districts (shown in blue) so Republicans could be spread out among 12 others. The congressional map would have created 11 Republican-leaning seats and two safe seats for Democrats, along with two competitive seats. Among other measures, the bill would have prohibited the types of gerrymanders that both parties have long employed for political advantage. Otherwise, a four-year map could be approved. By continuing to browse the site U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ruled, 5-4, showed that even under the new rules, it will still be possible to draw a politically gerrymandered map, collection of close to 200,000 signatures from Ohio voters. If you also believe that everyone deserves access to trusted high-quality information, will you make a gift to Vox today? However, some in the state were uncomfortable with the recently passed ballot proposal, saying it would still allow lawmakers complete control of the redistricting process. The Christian Science Monitor has expired. or call us at 1-617-450-2300. As for future Statehouse elections, It pretty much means there should not be a supermajority due a squeaker election, said Richard Gunther, a professor emeritus of political science from Ohio State University who was a consultant on the reform effort and the negotiations that led to the 2015 ballot measure. 0:00. The Ohio Supreme Court struck down GOP-drawn state House and Senate district maps as unconstitutional gerrymandering in a 4-3 decision Wednesday, sending the maps back to the drawing . The Battle to End Gerrymandering in Ohio - Common Cause Ohio Freda Levenson of the ACLU of Ohio appears before the Ohio Supreme Court in Columbus during oral arguments in a constitutional challenge to new legislative district maps on Dec. 8, 2021. The reform measures provide really important guardrails, said Katy Shanahan, Ohio director for All on the Line, a national group focused on redistricting with ties to the Democratic Party. And voting rights abuses have evolved to take new, more subtle forms that evade the legislations reach. Individual race results shown below include the independent and third-party votes. Log in to hide ads. Ohio has proven that when citizens work together to demand their elected officials support a fair redistricting process, positive change is possible.. Given that our state leans red now significantly, and most people dont research a lot about Supreme Court races, its not hard to predict that Republicans will do better on the court, he says. Select stories from the Monitor that empower and uplift. It still left the politicians in the room, says Mr. Pepper, who worked on the reform campaigns. All rights reserved (About Us). Ohio Voters Pass Gerrymandering Reform Measure - HuffPost If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Take our story from Malawi today by contributor Xanthe Scharff. Other provisions are aimed at ending the practice of designing districts without regard to local communities. Gerrymandering: Ohio just passed innovative way to curb 'rigged' maps Klobuchar, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Protect the Freedom to It grew out of a journey that started in 2005. Levenson noted cleveland.coms work earlier that showed that even under the new rules, it will still be possible to draw a politically gerrymandered map - just not so easily and extensively as before; so a court ruling against gerrymandering would have added another level of oversight, she said. Make a contribution to support Common Cause today. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. We change lives. COLUMBUS - Ohio won't draw a new congressional map until 2022 after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled federal courts shouldn't play a role in fixing partisan gerrymandering. Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost? Huffman helped engineer that defeat. Mike DeWine signed into law Saturday. Latest book reviews, author interviews, and reading trends. Ohio Supreme Court strikes down gerrymandered congressional map Theres no guarantee about what fairness should be, he says. Ohio gets national attention for how gerrymandering Republicans have Updated: 01/14/2022 03:19 PM EST. Science Monitor has expired. Then in creating the maps, the proportion of districts that favor each political party shall correspond closely to the statewide preference of the voters.. The bills failure shows the need for reform advocates to focus on state laws, says David Pepper, a former Democratic state chair in Ohio. 0:00. Republican legislators shrewdly accepted that momentum was building against partisan gerrymandering, he writes. Lisa Murkowski's wake-up call for the Senate - POLITICO In 2018, voters approved by a similar margin a constitutional amendment to prohibit partisan gerrymandering, setting a legal standard to uphold. In recent years, citizen-led efforts to reform redistricting have largely focused on creating independent commissions. Both party establishments are on board with the reform, as are business and labor groups in the state. Fair Districts Ohio organizes citizens to fight this gerrymandering. The answer lies in the plan itself. One challenge in designing proportionate districts is the geographic sorting of Democrats and Republicans into urban and rural areas, with Democratic voters increasingly concentrated in cities. Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost? But we should see more seats that swing back and forth. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 4/4/2023), Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 7/1/2023). If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. 4 above. Their tactics may seem more subtle than the poll tests my father faced in Mississippi under Jim Crow, but they have the same outcome: robbing Black Americans of the political power that is their due. Attorney Paul DeMarco has also written an op-ed calling on reformers to hold out for a better ballot initiative in 2020. Why Supreme Court ethics reform might hit the Senate floor See stories from the gerrymandering series at this link. But not nearly as much as the size of the lopsided control the last set of maps - drawn up in 2011 ahead of the gerrymandering reform - delivered for Republicans, who now control 76% of the Ohio Senate seats and 64% in the House. Ballot issue 1 was a compromise and didnt have as many teeth as the fair election (petition proposal). Youll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com. And they worked. The redistricting reform passed today in Ohio makes it much harder for politicians to rig elections through gerrymandering and gives me hope that we can restore fairness to our elections in states around the country, said former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, who chairs the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, which supported the measure. Sign up for the Theres no organized opposition that we know of, says Keary McCarthy, whos working on the bipartisan campaign in favor of the measure. Voters approved reforms in the past five years to avoid gerrymandering, where districts are drawn to favor one party over another. State courts have to uphold some kind of law, and those laws dont exist in every state.. But a lot of those people said, Can you fix this? Were known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspapers founding in 1908. Jan. 14, 2022. We just want candidates to have to work for their voters, said Jen Miller, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio. The reform was supported by leadership of both political parties. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chairwoman of the Committee on Rules and Administration with oversight over federal elections and campaign finance law, joined with her colleagues to introduce . But eventually, they cut a bipartisan deal reforming state legislature redistricting it passed the legislature with huge majorities and was overwhelmingly approved in a statewide vote in 2015. Issue 1 has other reforms too. Were seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. The recent failure of Democrats to enact voting rights legislation in Washington has underscored the limits of federal oversight of how states run elections. The battle against partisan drawing of political districts is proving more complicated than reform advocates had hoped. Its important that we have several ways we make money, just like its important for you to have a diversified retirement portfolio to weather the ups and downs of the stock market. The court compared this with average statewide vote shares of 54% for Republicans and 46% for Democrats. The reform includes a deadline of Sept. 30. You dont have a Christian Science Monitor Ohio's state Supreme Court has struck down the state's new congressional map as a Republican gerrymander that violates the state constitution. Theyll still need a 60 percent supermajority to pass a new congressional map, but they would need the support of just one-third of the lawmakers in the minority. Sometimes, we call things boring simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.. Issue 1 won by 74.85%! I think this Ohio case demonstrates state courts are perfectly capable of stepping in and applying standards of fairness to redistricting, says Yurij Rudensky, a redistricting counsel at the Brennan Centers democracy program, which joined one of the lawsuits against the redistricting commission. That goes a long way toward explaining why in 2012 when the current maps were used for the first time, the Republicans won 60 of the 99 House races although the Democrats received more votes overall in those races. In Ohio, were one of the rare states that has taken action by adopting (reform) that will make changes for the next time around (The court ruling against political gerrymandering) would have provided an extra layer of protection against partisan gerrymandering. . Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. For example, large numbers of Black voters are routinely drawnor packedinto Congresswoman Joyce Beattys district, with a smaller number of Black voters getting cracked across surrounding districts at such low numbers that candidates have no need to earn their votes to win. But it also enshrines the concept of minority rights.. If that fails, the legislature eventually could approve a new map without any minority support, but that new map would be good for only four years - instead of 10 - and added requirements would be imposed in an attempt to protect local communities and the party in the minority. But thats money we wouldnt have been able to spend on Republican House races and other things.. July 16, 2018. This series explores efforts around the world to seek justice and restitution for communities subjected to historical harms. The GOP-run legislature last year changed the ballot so that judicial nominees are listed with their party affiliation; previously they were only listed by name on the ballot. The Ohio chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, for example, did not take a position on the ballot measure, and its senior policy director expressed concern the process would encourage deals that are advantageous to politicians but not in the best interests of their constituents. Both reforms focused on stricter rules for keeping communities together and greater transparency in mapmaking. August 14, 2021 Public officials crush democracy by drawing legislative district maps to benefit their political party. Robert's Supreme Court OKs gerrymandering. This website uses cookies to Republican leaders such as former Senate President Larry Obhof argue that strong campaigns and good candidates helped widen the GOP control, but without question the maps were designed to put the Republicans at a big advantage. The Ohio Supreme Court struck down a congressional map skewed to favor Republicans on Friday, ruling that it was the equivalent of a dealer stacking the deck, and sent it back to . Ohio Republicans had defeated such ballot initiatives before most recently in 2012, when a sweeping redistricting reform went down to defeat by a 26 percentage point margin. Tokaji, who favors reform, pointed to Justice Anthony Kennedys retirement from the Supreme Court as clearing the way for Thursdays decision to stay out of political gerrymandering disputes. Update: Ohio's Issue 1 gerrymandering reform proposal passed overwhelmingly during the state's primary election, through the ballot initiative process. Esta pgina no est disponible en espaol. Gerrymandering, open carry guns, effort to tear up part of Ohio's If that fails, the work will be turned over to a separate, seven-member commission of statewide elected officials and representatives from the legislature. I would like to thank all the redistricting reformers and activists., Common Cause Ohio By browsing this site, we may share your information with our social media partners in accordance with our. The 2014 GOP landslide and Donald Trumps surprisingly large 2016 win in the state led to the same partisan outcome in the same districts. But by 2017, the League of Women Voters and other groups had begun gathering signatures to bring their own proposed reform of the US House redistricting process for a statewide vote. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told us a month ago that the sleepy pace on his side of the Capitol would soon be replaced with bipartisan policy-making forays. If theres no deal, the congressional map-drawing would be punted over to the seven-member Ohio commission that exists to handle the state legislatures redistricting. The reintroduced Freedom to Vote Act would prevent voter suppression, gerrymandering, and election denial tactics. The full day of action is a show of force for official mapmakers. At least 65 counties would be kept whole. The U.S. Supreme Court will likely soon send the Ohio gerrymandering case, now under appeal, back to a three-judge federal panel. And again, the governors signature would be required. Its a rare bipartisan deal to reform redistricting. Stephen Wolf of Daily Kos Elections wrote a biting critique of the deal, calling it fatally flawed because it essentially still leaves one party in charge of the redistricting process. Wolf believes the redistricting process should be taken away from the state legislature and state parties entirely and handed over to an independent commission and he thinks the passage of this deal will make that less likely to happen.

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