Ohio Redistricting Competition Partners Announce Specifics Of Plan

Friday, 20 March 2009 00:00

Press Release from Ohio Secretary of State Brunner

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio Redistricting Competition partners were joined Friday by Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner in announcing timelines and logistics for the historic contest. The competition will begin on April 6, 2009, and the winners will be announced on May 11, 2009.

Ohio Redistricting Competition partners include Former Republican State Representative Joan Lawrence, Linda Lalley of the League of Women Voters of Ohio, State Representative Dan Stewart, Ohio Citizen Action, and Common Cause Ohio.

The partners also publicized the launch of www.ohioredistricting.org as the gateway for every Ohioan to engage in an open, transparent, bipartisan redistricting competition.  Beginning this weekend, Ohioans can learn more about the competition and sign up to join free of charge at www.ohioredistricting.org.

What people are saying about the Ohio Redistricting Competition:

"Competing to draw the best Congressional plan is a great opportunity for those of us who want to see districts drawn using a fair and objective procedure without consideration of partisan advantage.  Come one, come all and try your hand at redistricting Ohio’s congressional seats," Former Republican State Representative Joan Lawrence said.

“We believe this redistricting competition will show that our state can transition to a fair, open process for drawing legislative lines.  By focusing on the criteria for drawing districts and reducing discretion in choosing a final plan, we can minimize the political games that can mar redistricting under any political party,” League of Women Voters of Ohio President Linda D. Lalley said.

“The Ohio Redistricting Competition demonstrates our shared commitment to bipartisan solutions for Ohio’s challenges.   Just as we worked in 2008 to ensure that every vote was counted, we must strive in 2009 to ensure that future votes are cast after a redistricting process that is based on the best methods to ensure fair and equitable representation,” Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner said.

“The Ohio Redistricting Competition offers all of us a new tool to increase Ohioans’ confidence in our redistricting process.   I look forward to presenting the results of the Ohio Redistricting Competition to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle,” State Representative Dan Stewart.

About the Ohio Redistricting Competition:

The goal of the Ohio Redistricting Competition is to demonstrate that an open process based on objective criteria can produce fair legislative districts in Ohio.  During the competition, a robust public conversation about the process can occur, leading to the development of the best possible redistricting recommendations for consideration by the Ohio General Assembly.

Logistics:

• Dr. Mark Salling of Cleveland State University has agreed to serve as the Project Manager for the Ohio Redistricting Competition.  Dr. Salling’s role includes crafting the technical user’s manual, holding trainings, creating the database for redistricting, and scoring the plans submitted.
• ArcGIS and the Redistricting add-on have been selected as the mapping software for the competition.
• The Ohio State University has graciously agreed to provide access to ArcGIS and Redistricting software through a secure online link.  Redistricting contestants will have free access to this software, along with training prior to the competition.  IT professionals at Cleveland State University and The Ohio State University are currently finalizing technical testing for this feature.
• The Ohio Secretary of State’s office will host www.ohioredistricting.org, an online gateway to learn about the competition, sign up to compete and offer feedback on the scoring criteria.  The soft launch of the site this weekend precedes a feature-rich rollout over the next two weeks.
• Competition partners have released specific rules for the competition, including eligibility standards, scoring criteria, and overall scoring formula.  These items are available in the Ohio Redistricting Competition Rules Manual at www.ohioredistricting.org.

 

Timeline:

• March 20-April 4, 2009 – Open sign-up for the Ohio Redistricting Competition.
• April 6, 2009 – Official kick-off of the Ohio Redistricting Competition, with ArcGIS training for all contestants.
• May 4, 2009 – Official close of the Ohio Redistricting Competition, with all plans due by 5pm.
• May 11, 2009 – Announcement of the Ohio Redistricting Competition winners.

 

How to enter the Ohio Redistricting Competition:

Simply visit www.ohioredistricting.org for more information about the rules of the competition.  Submit a contestant form and a competition partner will follow up with more information about competition rules, policy, and training.  There is no cost to take part in this historic opportunity to demonstrate that an open process based on objective criteria can produce fair legislative districts in Ohio.

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Media Contacts:

Diedre Reese, League of Women Voters of Ohio, 1-877-LWV-OHIO
Dr. Richard Gunther, (614) 292-0759
Catherine Turcer, Ohio Citizen Action, (614) 221-6077
Joan Lawrence, (740) 965-2820

Jeff Ortega, Assistant Director of Communications, Media, 614.466.0473
Kevin Kidder, Media Relations Coordinator, 614.995.2168

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