Ohio House Democrats have plan to redistrict - Idea would let public have a say in layout of legislative maps

Jim Siegel

February 2, 2010

Supporters of finding new, less political ways of drawing legislative and congressional districts say it's time for Democrats and Republicans to marry their ideas.

House Democrats introduced a plan yesterday that would allow the public to submit legislative maps, which then would be graded based on four criteria, including whether districts could produce a fair number of representatives from each party, whether districts are competitive, and the number of times municipalities are divided.

Senate Republicans passed a plan in September that would create a bipartisan board that would need a supermajority vote to approve maps for both legislative and congressional districts.

"These bills should not be considered rivals of one another. They are perfectly compatible," said Richard Gunther, political science professor at Ohio State University. The view was shared yesterday by the League of Women Voters of Ohio.

Gunther said Democrats have the superior criteria for drawing new maps, but Republicans have the better bipartisan board to select a map in 2011, after the new census count is complete. He also likes that the GOP plan also includes legislative districts.

"The criteria in the Senate (resolution) are inadequate to preclude some of the worst abuses of gerrymandering," Gunther said.

Rep. Tom Letson, D-Warren, said he is serious about getting his proposal on the November ballot to "take the politics out of the reapportionment process."

Asked about combining his plan and one by Sen. Jon Husted, R-Kettering, Letson said he will consider that but is focused on his own plan.

Husted, the leading GOP candidate for secretary of state, called the House plan "overly complex" but said he is willing to discuss a compromise. "There are many ways you can accomplish the goal of having fair and competitive districts."

Critics have long complained that the current process of drawing districts creates too many uncompetitive districts and too heavily favors one political party over another. State legislators draw congressional lines, while legislative districts are drawn by the Apportionment Board, which is controlled by the party that holds two of three key seats: governor, auditor and secretary of state.

Control of both the legislature and the Apportionment Board is uncertain heading into the November election.

The Ohio Democratic Party chairman, Chris Redfern, doesn't express a desire to see a redistricting plan pass this year, noting that legislators have a hard time agreeing on the details.

Plus, it doesn't make for compelling politics. "You'll attract about six votes one way or another on this issue," Redfern said last week. "It's an issue most Ohioans don't understand or care to understand.

"We'll have a lot of discussion, and then we'll focus on the economy, as well we should."

jsiegel@dispatch.com

Memo: Drawing new maps

Highlights of a proposal by House Democrats to attempt to take politics out of the process of drawing legislative districts:

* It allows the public to submit maps, using political data made available by the state Apportionment Board.

* Maps are judged on four criteria: representational fairness, which measures whether a map would conform the breakdown of legislative seats to recent vote totals in statewide elections; political competitiveness; the splitting of political subdivisions; and compactness.

* If the Apportionment Board cannot reach a decision, a five-member panel of retired judges -- two each appointed by Democrats and Republicans, and the fifth named by the other four -- will make the final selection.

Source: House Democrats

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