District 15 is one of the most gerrymandered in Ohio, so right now the current representative has no incentive to listen to constituents. The gerrymandering—cheating—carefully captures the areas (including prisons) that ensure a Republican victory. If our current representative is guaranteed an easy win, every time, where is his drive to listen to and fully represent all his constituents?
This interactive map allows you to zoom in to see Ohio’s congressional districts. Use the legend on the right to limit the view to one district.
The majority of the population in the district resides in Franklin County and a few other areas. The 11 rural districts of the county, especially the sparsely populated ones, are completely ignored by the current representative. Their needs and challenges are very different from the needs and challenges of more urban, densely populated areas of the district.
Issue 1, which mandates a more-neutral commission to draw congressional districts, passed in May 2018. However, the new districts will not be drawn until after the 2020 census. That’s too long to wait for District 15’s rural communities.
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