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If the U.S. is supposed to be a representative democracy, when did this country go from voters picking their representatives to politicians picking their voters? WKSU takes a look at the evolution of Ohio's congressional district, how they've gone from making geographic sense to the twisted, contorted shapes they are today.

ACLU Files Lawsuit Against Ohio's Gerrymandered Congressional Map

Ohio's Congressional map based on the 2010 Census
SECRETARY OF STATE
The ACLU has raised concerns with Issue 1, saying they do not believe it will do enough to stop gerrymandering.

Voters approved an overhaul of the way Ohio’s Congressional district map will be drawn in the future. But a lawsuit has been filed in federal court against the current map, which opponents say is a result of partisan gerrymandering.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio’s Freda Levenson says there’s good reason why her group is challenging the map that was drawn in 2011 now, even though voters overwhelmingly approved a new redistricting process going forward.

“Ballot Issue 1 won’t take effect until after the next census and until a new map is drawn in 2021 and elections occur in the 2022 election cycle,” she said.

Levenson says Ohio has one of the most egregiously gerrymandered maps in the country. She says there have been recent developments in case law that give the ACLU the opportunity to bring this suit forward now.

The ACLU of Ohio raised concerns about Issue 1 earlier this month, saying it wouldn’t do enough to stop gerrymandering.

Jo Ingles is a professional journalist who covers politics and Ohio government for the Ohio Public Radio and Television for the Ohio Public Radio and Television Statehouse News Bureau. She reports on issues of importance to Ohioans including education, legislation, politics, and life and death issues such as capital punishment. Jo started her career in Louisville, Kentucky in the mid 80’s when she helped produce a televised presidential debate for ABC News, worked for a creative services company and served as a general assignment report for a commercial radio station. In 1989, she returned back to her native Ohio to work at the WOSU Stations in Columbus where she began a long resume in public radio.