A deeply cynical moment in gerrymandering from the Ohio GOP

By
Aaron Blake
Senior reporter
September 16, 2021 at 11:54 a.m. EDT

There are fewer uglier and more cynical political processes than redistricting and gerrymandering. But even by those standards, what’s taking place in Ohio is extraordinary.

To recap: Ohio voters in 2015 and 2018 strongly backed constitutional amendments designed to rein in gerrymandering — i.e., the process of drawing districts to favor one party or another. But the state’s redistricting commission, which is controlled 5 to 2 by Republicans, just approved state legislative maps that include supermajorities of districts favoring the GOP. About 70 percent of state Senate seats and at least 62 percent of state House seats favor Republicans, despite the state’s voters generally giving Republicans about 54 percent of the vote. Even in casting the decisive votes, Gov. Mike DeWine (R) and Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R) expressed reservations about the constitutionality of the maps.

The idea that Ohio Republicans would attempt this isn’t wholly surprising. Both sides try to squeeze every last advantage they can out of redistricting, by hook or crook; Republicans just happen to be better at it.

What’s remarkable about the situation in Ohio, though, is their justification for how this complies with the gerrymandering changes that voters supported.

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