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Democrats provide vote on Congressional redistricting bill
by Kiesha Jenkins The bill passed through the Senate Wednesday with a 22-11 vote and
the House on Tuesday 71-28. Further delay from the redistricting could
have caused a second primary in the fall, costing the state about
$7 million. The new districts will go into effect with the November
elections. The new map cuts Ohio’s districts from 19 to 18. Many districts have been changed, and several counties have been divided. District six — which currently contains Athens, Hocking, Meigs, Vinton and Washington counties, among others — will now stretch from the western portion of Scioto County, through the counties along the Ohio River, up to Mahoning County. Such district changes made by Republicans have left many Democrats unhappy. U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo, is considering a lawsuit that could be joined by other congressional Democrats to protest the new lines, said Steve Fought, a Kaptur spokesperson. Sen. Michael Shoemaker, D–Bourneville, is another unhappy Democrat. "The census showed the most population change was in Northeastern Ohio,"Shoemaker said. "So the two districts with the most population loss should have just been combined. But this convoluted map with chopped up counties is simply an insult to the citizens of the counties." Shoemaker cited district six as a prime example. How is Ted Strickland supposed to cover a district that is 325 miles long?"Shoemaker asked. "The Republicans are just mad that a Democrat has the seat." U.S. Rep. Strickland, D–Lucasville, said he knows the new district will provide challenges for him. But he is not entirely upset with the new district lines. He said the new district will open doors and allow him to get to know people in more counties and face new challenges. If I have the privilege of being re-elected, I will have to figure out how to provide this new district with the same kind of intense personal attention that I provide the current district," Strickland said. "This involves being accessible, being in the communities I represent." Strickland, who plans to announce his candidacy today at the Athens County Courthouse, said the redistricting might force him to move to be more centrally located within the new district. Ray DiRossi, spokesperson for Senate President Richard Finan, R–Cincinnati, said the redistricting lines were redrawn in a practical way. "In district six, for example, the counties in the district
are all along the Ohio river, they all share common problems and traits,"
DiRossi said. "It may seem that counties have been chopped up,
but they in fact have been put together for specific reasons." The Associated Press contributed to this story . |