A conservative think tank and liberal advocacy group usually at odds with each other are on the same page on one issue — redistricting reform.
State legislators are considering proposals to change how Ohio draws its congressional and legislative boundaries, a process that has become bitterly hyperpartisan as the party in power draws lines favoring their incumbents.
Opportunity Ohio CEO Matt Mayer and ProgressOhio Executive Director Sandy Theis released a joint statement Tuesday calling on Ohio lawmakers to adopt “meaningful redistricting reform” by June 2015.
“This reform must eliminate the gerrymandering of congressional and state legislative districts, which is more about empowering political parties and less about empowering voters,” Mayer and Theis said. “The reforms must result in maps that preserve communities of interest and reflect the political balance of our swing state by maximizing the number of competitive seats to the highest degree possible. These two key outcomes will increase the relevance of general elections and make elected officials more accountable to their constituents.”
A study released Tuesday by the League of Women Voters of Ohio and Common Cause Ohio shows today’s districts are largely uncompetitive, yielding predictable results. The winner of every 2014 Ohio Senate and U.S. House race could have been predicted by the districts’ partisan makeup, according to the groups’ analysis of preliminary election results.
Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, who pushed for redistricting reforms as a state lawmaker, has called on legislators to approve a bipartisan plan before the end of this legislative session. Husted said the longer lawmakers wait, the more likely reform will happen through a constitutional amendment proposed by an out-of-state group.
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