Events Calendar
In This Section
Most Read Stories
Family found dead in Ohio home
Robbers order bar patrons to empty pockets
Man gets 3 years in prison for having sex with horse
Sex-toy study at Duke University raises some eyebrows
Akron man turns himself in after authorities turn up heat
Get ready for detour, delays on Route 8
Man appears alive at own funeral
Blogs:
Pets:
Not 101 Dalmations…but close!
The Heldenfiles:
Friday Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
Saturday entertainment, one more time …
Akron Zips:
No. 1 UA soccer remains perfect, Zips football defeats rival Flashes
Tribe Matters:
Tribe makes roster moves
Cleveland Browns:
Lewis doesn't like boycott
Kent State Sports:
Kent State falls to Akron, 20-28
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Gameblog: Cavs at Knicks
Buckeye Blogging:
Weekly ‘B’ Deck Report – New Mexico St.
Varsity Letters:
Wrestling, bowling teams prepare for season
All Da King's Men:
Bigger And Better Boondoggles
Blog of Mass Destruction:
The Shooter
Akron Law Café:
NEW U.S. Supreme Court Database
See Jane Style:
Muffle Your Muffler
Car Chase:
Perfect Weather for an Autumn Drive
Let's Talk Real Estate:
RUMORS: Downtown Restaurant Explosion
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Jack is looking for a trip to Southern Ohio the week of November 16.
Sound Check:
The Black Keys to perform benefit concert at Musica on November 27
HRLite House:
Personal Rant – Why People Do Not Live in Northeast Ohio
Akron Gamer:
New 'Call of Duty' could set entertainment record
Draw improved legislative districts, and the likelihood is, the state will get improved representation
Published on Sunday, Jun 21, 2009
The League of Women Voters of Ohio, Common Cause Ohio, Ohio Citizen Action and others approached Jennifer Brunner, the secretary of state, to sponsor the event, in the pursuit of improved representation. The results, announced Thursday, should push lawmakers and the governor toward changing the ways both legislative and congressional districts are redrawn every decade. Much more is at stake than reflecting new population numbers.
Fortunately, state Sen. Jon Husted, a Kettering Republican who wants to run to replace Brunner next year, already is moving in the right direction. His resolution to amend the Ohio Constitution would create a seven-member bipartisan commission to take over the job of both legislative and congressional districts. The hope is to place an issue before voters this fall, before the 2010 Census is taken and state offices are up for grabs.
As it is, legislative lines are controlled by a state apportionment board made up of the governor, auditor, secretary of state and a legislative member from each party. The process for devising new congressional boundaries is even more open, leaving the job to the legislature and the governor.
There is virtually nothing to stop partisan impulses to bend what few rules there are to gain partisan advantage. Even when compromises are reached, they tend to create safe districts for incumbents.
Although the Husted plan does address compactness and competitiveness in general language, it would benefit from revisions to incorporate the more rigorous and broader scoring system worked out by the League of Women Voters and others. Putting the details in the state constitution makes sense: It would provide a barrier to future manipulation.
Besides minimizing splits to existing political subdivisions and requiring compactness, the contest included measures of political competitiveness and overall fairness. The latter considers whether the percentage of districts a party holds mirrors its percentage of the statewide vote.
As happened in the contest for congressional districts, a number of plans could tie, leaving the commission with plenty of discretion to look closely at the importance of a particular category. In the end, the goal is to preserve communities of interest, while at the same time driving the political debate toward the center, competitive districts more likely to produce representatives more inclined to take the broad view of what's best for the state.
Get the full article here.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
