We’ve heard a lot about how the illegal, unconstitutional, voter-defying legislative and congressional maps created by the Ohio redistricting commission’s Republican majority awarded the GOP outsized power compared to their percentage of the vote. This in turn is the cause of the extremist, unpopular legislation coming out of Columbus.
Less has been said about a secondary goal of those trying to corrupt our elections: creating voter confusion. When districts are heavily gerrymandered and new lines are drawn that aren’t dictated by population shifts, voters don’t know who represents them anymore. That makes it easier for elected officials to be unaccountable.
Further confusion was created when the Republican redistricting commission members’ defiant refusal to pass constitutional legislative maps led to missed deadlines and a second, separate primary on August 2 for state legislative districts (as well as the respective parties’ state central committees).
So with the big-name races for congress and statewide offices such as governor in May and a second primary for lesser-known candidates in the dead of summer, what do you think happened? Wait — you didn’t know we just had a second primary? Don’t beat yourself up. You’re not alone. You were meant not to know. Turnout sank to a record low, as likely intended by the Republicans on the commission.
Ohio’s August 2 turnout was the lowest in a statewide primary since at least 1962 (earlier records aren’t available) with less than half the number of the next lowest turnout year. About 630,000 voted, compared to 1.3 million in May of this year, with 8% of registered voters turning out. Cuyahoga did slightly better, with a turnout of 10.4% but Lake County saw only 6% turnout. State percentage figures date only back to 1986; the previous low was 17% in 2014.
When voters disengage, elected officials can get away with murder — literally some would say, given the Ohioans who will die as a result of expanded gun access and banning abortion.
Most Ohioans support gun safety laws such as universal background checks; our legislature has given them the middle finger with laws that put more guns in the hands of potentially irresponsible or dangerous people.
Most Ohioans support abortion being largely a personal choice; our legislature has said women are reproductive chattel whose decisions about their own body will now be made by politicians, not by the woman and her doctor.
They’ve also decided that issues facing trans youth require more minute attention from clueless politicians than job creation, equitable education opportunities, health care access, affordable housing, opioid deaths, crumbling infrastructure, child poverty, food access, forward-looking energy policies and the list goes on.
We have a legislature in Columbus that has arranged to be completely unaccountable; it’s why we had the $60 million FirstEnergy corruption scheme that touched virtually every corner of the state GOP. And making sure voters don’t know about elections and don’t know what district they’re in is part of the strategy — and an expensive one. This second primary cost taxpayers more than $20 million. It should be charged to Bob Cupp, Matt Huffman, Mike DeWine and Frank LaRose, the Republicans members of the redistricting commission most responsible for this deliberate mess.