Opinion: Ohio needs a new congressional map sooner rather than later

On May 3, a panel of federal judges representing the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio unanimously ruled that Ohio’s gerrymandered congressional district map is unconstitutional, and ordered the creation of a new map in time for the 2020 general election. In their ruling, the court stated that the Republican operatives who drew the map diluted the votes of Democratic voters by packing them into districts that are so skewed toward one party that the electoral outcome is predetermined. While the U.S. Supreme Court has paused the ruling until they decide on similar cases with Maryland and North Carolina, that doesn’t change the immediate need for a new map in Ohio.

In December 2011, the Ohio General Assembly voted our current map into law. The process by which it was made was flawed from the very start. Drawn by Republican legislators and kept from the public, a draft of the map was not released until two days before it was to be voted on. This map effectively guaranteed that Republicans would win 12 congressional seats, with the remaining four drawn to favor Democrats.

In the four election cycles that have taken place since the map was enacted, Republicans have only received between 52% to 59% of the vote in each midterm or presidential election, yet they have maintained control of 75% of the Ohio’s congressional seats. What’s even more telling is that since the map was put into effect in the 2012 election, not a single district has flipped to the other party.

The Republicans even went so far as to manipulate Ohio’s largest urban areas to eliminate competition and consolidate Democratic representation. The map drawers split Hamilton County and the city of Cincinnati into a strange, squiggly shape, dividing Democratic voters and ensuring a Republican representative in Districts 1 and 2. District 3 consolidated Democratic voters in Central Ohio, forming what the map drawers would refer to as the "Franklin County Sinkhole."

By packing Democratic voters into the Columbus-area district, the map drawers were able to ensure a healthy Republican majority in the surrounding areas. They then went on to form the infamous "Snake on the Lake" – a bizarre fragmentation of land that spans from Cleveland to Toledo, stretching over 120 miles along Lake Erie.

This is not simply a partisan issue – for as long as gerrymandering persist, fair elections in our country, the basis of democracy, will be threatened. Moreover, it isn’t just Democrats calling this issue to attention. Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and former Ohio Governor John Kasich, both Republicans, have supported redistricting reform. In an interview with the Huffington Post last June, Kasich railed that gerrymandering was "repugnant to the Constitution" and makes a "mockery of our Republican government."

By packing as many Democratic voters as possible into four districts, the Republican Party has robbed voters of their choice regarding who should represent them in Congress – ultimately leading to disenfranchisement. In Ohio today, politicians now select their voters, instead of voters electing politicians – this cannot stand. This country will finally have the opportunity to end gerrymandering if the U.S. Supreme Court agrees that Maryland and North Carolina’s maps are rigged. In the meantime, we must replace Ohio’s congressional map and for the sake of fair elections moving forward, it needs to happen immediately.

So what’s next? I urge Ohioans to get or stay engaged. Contact your state lawmakers and Statehouse leadership. Demand they get to work on a new map – now. Keep a watchful eye out for the Supreme Court ruling on Maryland and North Carolina’s maps. Even if the ruling is not in our favor, gerrymandering threatens fairness in our elections and Ohio voters have recognized that the time has come for it to end. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., "Justice too long delayed is justice denied."

State Senator Cecil Thomas represents Ohio’s 9th Senate district, which includes parts of Cincinnati, St. Bernard, Elmwood Place, Norwood, Golf Manor, Hollydale, Columbia Township, Silverton and Springfield Township.