Gerrymandering/Redistricting

The U.S. Supreme Court released opinions in two partisan gerrymandering cases, remanding Gill v. Whitford and allowing Benisek v. Lamone to go to trial. The Campaign Legal Center litigated Gill and Mayer Brown litigated Benisek. The Supreme Court is now set up to review North Carolina’s partisan gerrymandering case, Rucho v. Common Cause and Rucho v. League of Women Voters of North Carolina, consolidated challenges to North Carolina’s congressional map that plaintiffs won in January.

Catherine Turcer, executive director of Common Cause Ohio, which helped lead the Issue 1 effort, said "even one more election using gerrymandered districts is too many." "This litigation may give Ohioans the fair districts they deserve in 2020 and may strengthen the protections of Issue 1 in the next redistricting cycle," she said.

On Tuesday, May 22nd the Senate State Government Committee took a small step in the right direction toward fixing our broken redistricting process, but there is much more work to be done. Committee Chairs Mike Folmer, Anthony Williams and their colleagues responded to the outcry of Senator Lisa Boscola, concerned citizens, and reformers to fix the dysfunctional way Pennsylvania handles the drawing of congressional and legislative districts.

Tonight, Ohio voters approved a historic state constitutional amendment that will institute strong protections against partisan political gerrymandering in congressional redistricting. After democracy advocates collected over 200,000 signatures to place a redistricting initiative on the 2018 ballot, the Ohio General Assembly voted to place Issue 1 on the May ballot with a strong bipartisan vote. Today Ohioans voted to ratify the measure.

Hidden donors with apparent connections to corporate interests and Republican activists appear to be funding efforts to block a nonpartisan, anti-gerrymandering initiative.