Gov. John Kasich says he wants to change the way Ohio draws congressional districts, but other supporters of the idea say it will take a change of heart by Ohio’s federal lawmakers to make it happen. Ohio’s congressional districts are currently drawn by the legislature, which can gerrymander districts to favor the party that controls the chambers. The process has led to a number of districts that make little geographic sense, allow for few competitive races and have given Republicans 12 of 16 seats. “I support redistricting reform dramatically,” Kasich said last week. “This will be something I’m going to do whether I’m elected president or whether I’m here. We carve these safe districts, and then when you’re in a safe district you have to watch your extremes, and you keep moving to the extremes.”
Kasich’s position matches that of Secretary of State Jon Husted, a fellow Republican who for years has advocated changing the process for drawing legislative and congressional maps.
Opponents of the current map-drawing process hoped that following the overwhelming 43-point passage in November of Issue 1, which seeks to bring a more transparent and bipartisan process to drawing legislative districts, that GOP legislative leaders would act to do the same for congressional redistricting.
Full Article: End gerrymandering, Kasich says | The Columbus Dispatch.