ICYMI: Republicans Turn Redistricting Into a “Big Fat Gerrymandering Party”
November 11, 2021
Columbus, OH — In case you missed it, Cincinnati.com columnist Jason Williams eviscerated Ohio Republicans for playing politics with redistricting. Williams rightfully observes that Republicans are “flipping everyone the bird,” ignoring the Constitution and putting their own political interests over the needs of Ohioans when drawing new maps. The column points out the multiple times Ohio voters overwhelmingly called for redistricting reform and the various ways GOP politicians went ahead and ignored those calls.
“Statehouse Republicans are arrogantly and unapologetically doing whatever the heck they want with the map-drawing pen, throwing a big, fat gerrymandering party like they’re living on a consequence-free Pleasure Island,” writes Jason Williams in the Cincinnati Enquirer.
“Republicans will do anything to avoid accountability for the various ways they’ve betrayed Ohioans, including choosing their own voters rather than the other way around. From day one, the GOP has ignored calls for fair districts and put their own political interests over the needs of Ohioans,” said Matt Keyes, spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party.
You can read more from the Enquirer here and below:
- In 2018, Ohioans wagged their fingers at the state’s controlling political party and sent a loud and clear bipartisan message about redistricting. Be fair. Republicans have responded by flipping everyone the bird.
- Statehouse Republicans are arrogantly and unapologetically doing whatever the heck they want with the map-drawing pen, throwing a big, fat gerrymandering party like they’re living on a consequence-free Pleasure Island.
- It’s hard to believe the gerrymandering could get worse after voters overwhelmingly approved bipartisan redistricting reform three years ago. But all one needs to do is look at Hamilton County on the proposed congressional maps unveiled last week by the state Senate and House as an obvious example that Republicans are blatantly ignoring what voters ordered them to do.
- They’ve blown multiple deadlines to come up with this? What a joke.
- The ballot initiative put stricter map-drawing guidelines and more layers of checks and balances in place for redistricting. Republicans have collectively responded: We don’t care.
- The legislature has until Nov. 30 to make changes to its proposed maps, but no one who pays close attention to this stuff is optimistic that House Speaker Bob Cupp and Senate President Matt Huffman are suddenly going to start eating Fairness Flakes for breakfast every day.
- Gerrymandering makes people feel like their vote doesn’t count. Apparently their vote to reform redistricting didn’t count, either. It’s a vicious cycle that disillusions voters to check out. That’s what Statehouse Republicans want. Fewer voters often favors the majority party.
- We’re seeing the dark side of one-party rule play right now. No wonder the statehouse has been under the months-long cloud of the pay-to-play FirstEnergy scandal. Power-drunk lawmakers think they can do whatever they want.