2. Fairness matters — to both parties. I know it's hard to imagine in Ohio, where Republicans have run things for awhile, but it hasn't always been that way and, if history is our guide, it won't be that way forever. Twelve years ago Democrats completed a near sweep of statewide races, losing only the race for auditor, and even that one had a razor-thin margin. Mary Taylor won with just 50.64 percent of the vote. Go back further to the 1980s and Republicans weren't even competitive. Memories are short, but if the public sees one party as unfairly discriminating against the other party, they'll be a stock market-like correction that won't be pretty.
3. You are going to vote on this. You may need a Ph. D to understand it, but here is the gist of the proposal that passed the Ohio Senate Monday night and will likely land on your ballot in May. The Ohio General Assembly — currently controlled by Republicans — will retain control over the map-making, but the minority party won't be completely ignored as it is now. A 10-year map would require a three-fifths majority, including at least half the members of each party. And if no agreement is reached by Sept. 30 in the year after the Census — in this case, Sept. 30, 2021 — a seven-member redistricting commission would take over. The commission would then have until Oct. 31 to settle things. If it strikes out, the legislature would get another crack, and have an option for a four-year or a 10-year map. Any map would be subject to voter referenda or a governor's veto. Don't blink, but this may be a rare occasion in Ohio when Republicans and Democrats worked together for the greater good. After all, the vote in the Ohio Senate was 31-0 in favor of the compromise congressional map-making plan. The House followed suit Tuesday voting 83-10 to put the issue on the ballot.
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