A line is thin. A line is narrow --
curved like a worm, straight as an arrow.
. . .
Yes, a line is fine, but when a line swerves,
when a line bends, watch what can happen . . .
a shape begins!
from: When a Line Bends . . . A Shape Begins
written by Rhonda Gowler Greene
illustrated by James Kaczman
Houghton Mifflin Company, 1997
A movement is underway in Ohio.
This past weekend I joined three other women to collect signatures for the Citizens Not Politicians petition to ban gerrymandering in Ohio. These petition-signing events are happening all over the state. You can check their website to find a location. (Check the hours of your county Board of Elections, too. Call to find out if they have petitions available to sign.)
The League of Women Voters, Common Cause Ohio, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Ohio have joined with others around the state to ensure that voters have fair maps that represent the different geographic areas and demographics Ohio. A petition is circulating that, if accepted by the Secretary of State will
- create a 15-member Ohio Citizens Redistricting Commission to represent the different geographic areas and demographics of Ohio
- ban current or former politicians, political party officials, and lobbyists from sitting on the commission
- require fair and impartial districts by making it unconstitutional to draw voting districts that discriminate against or favor any political party or individual politician.
- require the commission to operate under an open and independent process.
Before the 2012 election, and after the 2010 US Census was tallied, the states were tasked with drawing new boundaries for their Federal and State Congressional Districts. Of course the boundaries were drawn to favor the party in power, in Ohio’s case the Republicans. But the maps were so far out of whack that the Supreme Court of Ohio declared them unconstitutional. They were invalid. The group of appointed politicians went back the the drawing board and came up with new maps and more new maps. The Ohio Supreme Court struck them down as being unconstitutional, time after time, until a compromise was reached.
In November, 2023, the Ohio Ballot Board allowed the current petition’s circulation. If the petition campaign is successful, the unconstitutional maps would ONLY be used one more time, in 2024!
I like to think my vote counts. After all, that’s what a representative democracy is supposed to provide for its citizens, meaningful elections. While I understand that a majority is necessary, I vote for a representative who, in turn, will vote in my interest. But what happens when our representatives don’t voice the majority’s opinions? How can that happen anyway?
In 1812, Elbridge Gerry, governor of Massachusetts, signed a bill that created a partisan district in the Boston area. He drew a line around neighborhoods that included more of “his” people. Because its shape was compared to a mythological salamander, we get Gerry-mander…gerrymander. Here's a map of MA including a map of his gerrymandered area around Boston.
This re-districting technique caught on quickly. Districts in any particular state can be drawn to create politically advantageous voting blocs.
The U.S. Constitution requires a census every 10 years for the express purpose of redistributing Congressional districts. Because populations do not grow evenly. In the mid-1960s, the Supreme Court decided that similar numbers of people should reside in each district. Sometimes an area needs to be re-drawn so a more consistent number of people can be represented.
Each state decides who draws its lines.
If the district lines are seen to be gerrymandered, that is, giving advantage to one group over another, especially if the targeted group is in the minority, the Courts can be called in.
This is the current condition in Ohio.
As late as November 2015, after the last map was declared unconstitutional but accepted anyway, “even Ohio Auditor Keith Faber, Ohio Sec. of State Frank LaRose, and Gov. Mike DeWine, all Republican commission members, expressed frustration with this year’s mapmaking process, citing concerns about a “partisan process.” (ACLU.org)
Even if the Ohio Supreme Court and the current commission members are okay with gerrymandering, I am not. I understand that a direct democracy in a country of 341,327,772 people is impracticably cumbersome. Even with Ohio’s population of 11,807,067, an overhaul to a direct democracy is not feasible.
But when I cast a vote for the candidate who I expect will represent the majority of people in my district, I also expect that he or she has a fair shot of receiving the majority of votes cast.
I hope I have not presented an over-simplified summary in my search for understanding this complicated issue. I’m glad gerrymandering is finally getting some of the attention it deserves. We cannot be a true democracy if our elections suppress our collective voice. If we are not heard at the ballot boxes of this country because our individual voices have been divided and conquered, we can contact our Representatives. Find your Ohio Legislators here. And here’s a handy way find your US Representative.
To help Ohioans make our voting system more fair, look for a Citizens Not Politicians petition to sign and sign it. Let’s all work together for free and fair elections to choose representatives who really speak for the majority of us.
Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2008), is the story of three kids who meet serendipitously at the fictional Moon Shadow Campgrounds to view the upcoming solar eclipse. They forge friendships, explore space science, and learn to trust themselves and each other as they prepare for and experience totality. Just in time for our own 4/8/24 totality. More on the eclipse next week.
-—Be curious! (and speak up)
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