OHIO — The Ohio General Assembly is facing a deadline of Sept. 30 to pass a new congressional map with bipartisan support.
If they don’t meet that deadline, the task turns over to the state’s redistricting commission, which would have just one month to draw the maps that will be in effect for next year’s elections.
What You Need To Know
- Republican chairman of Summit County hopes the GOP gains the seat back, after several decades being led by Democrats
- Democratic chairman of Summit County is concerned of politicians redrawing maps but is optimistic with their Democratic representative
- District four is another one that gets heat because of its boundaries
- The Democratic Chair says they’re fighting its gerrymandered lines, but the Republican Chair disagrees and says most voters are conservative in the area regardless of the lines
Political experts say redrawing maps can affect results, and one example is district 13 in northeast Ohio, which is one of the most competitive ones. Bryan Williams, the Republican chairman of Summit County, hopes to get that seat back.
“We have not had our own county district since really 1970,” Williams said. “When Bill Ayres, a Republican, represented Summit County and since then, over the next 50 years, the state during the redistricting process has cut us up in as many as four parts at one point, so I’d like to see Summit County stay whole.”
Democratic Congresswoman Emilia Sykes currently represents district 13.
Mark Derrig, the Democratic chairman of Summit County, said things get heated there, especially when they redraw maps.
“I think everyone is concerned when politicians decide it’s their job to pick voters instead of voters picking them,” Derrig said. “We already have redrawn maps in Ohio numerous times, and every time we end up in court and so on.”
David Niven who’s a professor of political science at the University of Cincinnati said there’s an opportunity for the Republican party to take back the seat in District 13 for the first time in decades.
“The key question, as the lines get redrawn, is are they going to borrow a few voters from the surrounding district to make this district that is the slightest advantage to Democrats into an advantage for Republicans,” Niven said.
Williams, from the Republican party, said he doesn’t think the average voter really looks at the district boundaries to decide how to vote.
Bryan Williams, Chairman of the Summit County Republican Party, works at his office. (Spectrum News 1/Chrissa Loukas)
What constituents are looking at, Williams said, is who would represent their interests from a fair and balanced viewpoint.
“I think Kevin Coughlin does that very well,” Williams said. “I would submit that Emilia Sykes is very polarizing, is very good representative of the left wing of her political party, not really the center of the party, and when you have a competitive district, you really have to be able to govern for the entire district.”
Derrig, from Summit County’s Democratic party, said constituents all over the district from Summit to Stark County want a member of Congress who’s approachable and meets their needs.
Some of the biggest needs have to do with housing, Derrig said, and things that would help them with their daily lives and their commutes to work.
In the meantime, there are more than 1.5 million registered republicans and more than 800,000 registered democrats in Ohio, according to the Ohio Secretary of State.
“We have maps that are drawn 13 to 2 and we’ve picked up three seats just because we have better candidates than they do that are out there delivering for their constituents,” Derrig said. “Summit County is the fourth largest county in the state, and this is the first time in many, many years where we’ve had one representative from Congress, and I think that’s paid dividends and the people see that and realize that.”
But whether you’re in a blue district or at a red leaning place like in Shelby County, the process of redrawing maps can impact people across the state.
And the fight continues in Shelby County, which is in the fourth district, one that’s been represented by Republican Jim Jordan since 2007.
Yet, political professor Niven said, there’s a way to get a fair map.
“Four runs all the way from the outskirts of the Cleveland metropolitan area all the way over to the outskirts of the Dayton metropolitan area, and the problem with that, of course, is the folks at either end of these districts don’t have a heck a lot in common,” Niven said. “States including Michigan and Colorado have chosen to use an independent redistricting commission, which basically means two things: One, politicians don’t draw their own lines and two, those commissions are balanced by parties so that neither party can choose the map.”
Chris Gibbs is the chairman of the Democratic party in Shelby County and also a farmer.
Gibbs said he used to be a Republican for about 20 years, up until 2019, which was the year he lost about 20% of his product.
Gibbs said this district is gerrymandered and doesn’t meet agricultural needs.
“We have a whole host of folks that do not have a voice in their government,” Gibbs said. “Because we’re not able to break through to have a congressional representative that represents all of the people, not just 60% of them.”
Dan Cecil is the chairman of the Shelby County Republican party.
He’s now retired after 30 years in the Air Force.
Cecil disagrees about this district being gerrymandered and said it does meet people’s needs.
“We’re still like nine Republicans to one Democrat in Shelby County as far as people that are registered to vote,” Cecil said. “But it’s even higher than that for the way people vote when they vote in general elections, so no I don’t think it’s gerrymandered at all in this area.”
Cecil said Democrats have also been using redistricting to their advantage, and it’s not only the Republican party.
“I think Republicans are just fed up with it and have decided that we’re going to make the best of it that we can,” Cecil said.
In the meantime, the General Assembly has until the end of the month to redraw maps.
They need 60% to vote yes, and they need at least half of the minority party to be on board.
But Gibbs said, even though outnumbered, they’re not backing down.
“The gerrymandering fight is what’s in front of us and we’re going to continue to punch,” Gibbs said. “We’re going to continue to punch all the way down, if it’s down to the bottom and we’re going to land blows because this is unfair, and it can’t stand.”