|
Gov. Ted Strickland sounded a warning about Ohio's congressional districts last week. Thanks to population losses, we're certain to lose one of the 18 districts to other states, and we may well lose two.
Given that grim reality, it's imperative that the task of redrawing congressional districts be done in a sane, effective and non-partisan manner.
If you look at the current map, it's obvious that didn't happen the last time districts were drawn. Our 18th District, for instance, includes parts of 15 counties and stretches from Malvern to Oak Hill. The 6th District includes parts of 12 counties and snakes along the Ohio River from Mahoning to Scioto counties.
Given Ohio's sparsely populated rural regions, it's inevitable that some large geographic districts will be needed. (Districts need to contain roughly the same number of people.) But congressional districts ought to be designed to bring areas of common interest together, not to ensure incumbents have jobs for life in Congress.
So it's worth noting that two independent efforts are under way to make redistricting of congressional and state legislative districts less partisan.
State Sen. Jon Husted, a Republican campaigning for secretary of state, wants voters to add two seats to the State Apportionment Board, which redraws the General Assembly districts. He also would boost the number of seats on the board from five to seven, and require five members to sign off on district boundaries. Both moves would make the process less partisan, he argues.
Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, a Democrat campaigning for U.S. Senate, has set up a contest that allows state residents to draw their own congressional and legislative districts. You can learn more about it at www.ohioredistricting.org.
Both proposals are being pushed by highly partisan politicians, so they need to be taken with a container of salt. But if the public insists on a nonpartisan approach, we could end up with districts that reflect our needs instead of incumbents' creeds. Public indifference will almost certainly guarantee "safe" districts and no hope of positive change at the federal or state levels.
|
