Fun Fact: Why do we call gerrymandering, gerrymandering? Well, it seems that way back in 1812, Governor Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts led a redistricting campaign that heavily favored Republicans. (Sound familiar?) The revised district map took the shape of a salamander. Hence, Gerrymander! And that, my friends, is the only amusing thing about gerrymandering, which over the past decade has virtually eliminated equal representation for Ohio Democrats. Here in Ohio, voters do not choose politicians. Politicians choose voters. Hey, it’s not like we haven’t tried. In 2015, more than 70% of voters approved an amendment to the state constitution that created the Ohio Redistricting Commission, which would be responsible for constructing fair, bipartisan voting districts. A great idea, with one major flaw. The commission’s members were to be appointed by Republican and Democratic leaders in the General Assembly, plus the governor, state auditor and secretary of state. Well, with the latter three offices held by Republicans, you can guess the result. The Commission is currently composed of five Republican members and two Democratic members. More recently, Republicans manipulated district lines resulting in their supermajority in the Ohio legislature. In doing so, they blatantly ignored several rebuffs by the Ohio Supreme Court, who found five of the six versions of Statehouse district maps unconstitutionally partisan. But in the oft-quoted words of Winston Churchill, Ohioans must ‘Never, never, never give up.’ The group Citizens, Not Politicians proposes a Voters’ Bill of Rights amendment to the state constitution that would create an entirely non-partisan, 15 member redistricting commission with the goal of an “open and independent process” to create “fair and impartial districts.” Learn about the initiative, and how you can help, by visiting: www.citizensnotpoliticians.org/ We’re ready to collect signatures, and we need 413,487 by July 3 to get on the November ballot. What can you do? Plenty. Talk to family, friends and neighbors about the amendment. Tout the initiative’s many advantages on social media. Write letters to the editors of your local press. Volunteer to gather signatures, send postcards, work at local events. Sign the petition! And on November 5, vote for fair districts. Take action. End gerrymandering! P.S. The fate of Ohio's redistricting is in your hands! But no pressure. For a fun and engaging activity, visit slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/06/gerrymander-puzzles-ohio.html for an interactive puzzle that challenges you to see how quickly you can put Ohio back together!
1 Comment
Donna Miller
2/23/2024 04:30:47 pm
And his name was pronounced "gary," but it somehow evolved over the years to "jerry."
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