04/02/2018

Ohioans to Vote on New Redistricting Plan

The current mapping system does not reflect the state's political makeup

Legislative redistricting reform has been a major topic of debate across the United States.  Reform advocates believe the more competitive legislative districts, particularly for the U.S. House of Representatives will result in more balanced public policy flowing out of the Congress and Statehouses around the United States. According to the Brennen Center for Justice, nearly 150 bills addressing redistricting procedures have been introduced in states around the country that would change – and in some cases significantly overhaul – how redistricting is done after the 2020 Census, now less than three years away.  State redistricting reform proposals include:

• 25 states proposed some form of a commission (advisory, backup, or independent) to draw congressional and/or legislative districts;
• 19 states would explicitly prohibit districts lines from being drawn with the intent to favor or disfavor a political party or incumbent;
• 15 states would ban the use of political data to draw districts;
• 22 states would create or clarify the criteria to be used in drawing maps, such as requiring preservation of communities of interest; and
• 21 states would establish requirements for public engagement in the redistricting process.

Congressional redistricting reform advocates point to a recent Cleveland Plain Dealer analysis that found in analyzing election results covering the last 448 races going back to 1972, the current Congressional Districts are the least competitive in over 45 years.  The Cleveland Plain Dealer examined the election results, removing votes for the handful of third-party and independent candidates in order to allow for a cleaner look at the trends that included:

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Montrose Group.