Foul Stench of Gerrymandering Pollutes Medina County

"Medina County mistake prompts voters to cast wrong primary ballots"

Read on:

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2012/02/medina_county_snafu_prompted_v.h...

The Ohio legislature placed a number of Medina County voters in new congressional districts when it modified the state's already redrawn political boundaries late last year. But election officials didn't know to tell those voters.

So nearly 400 voters may have gotten the wrong ballot. Currently, most of Medina County is in the 16th district, represented by Jim Renacci. Under the new map, some of it is in the new 7th district where Bob Gibbs, currently representing the 18th district, is running. Apparently, there was confusion between the first map released in September and the final map in December.

The new 7th district wraps around the 16th district, going from Canton in the east all the way up to nearly the shores of Lake Erie to take in a bunch of Lorain County. Medina appears to be in the way of that move and these neighborhoods are collateral damage. It's hardly surprising that a confused Board of Elections sends out some incorrect ballots. And it won't be surprising, given the way the districts leap around all over the place, when voters get their ballots and unexpectedly see names they're unfamiliar with, of candidates they may never see if their little piece of the district is small and random enough.

This is one more piece of evidence that the districts were drawn for politicians and not for voters — and one more reason why Ohio needs nonpartisan districting, and needs it as soon as possible.