As mapmakers return to the drawing board after the Ohio Supreme Court struck down as unconstitutional the redrawn congressional and state legislative district lines, we again urge legislators not to forget the importance of keeping our Mahoning Valley united in one congressional district.

Twice last week, each by 4-3 votes, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that newly redrawn congressional and Ohio legislative maps were too heavily gerrymandered and, therefore, unconstitutional.

Despite a constitutional amendment designed to make congressional redistricting more fair, “the evidence in these cases makes clear beyond all doubt that the General Assembly did not heed the clarion call sent by Ohio voters to stop political gerrymandering,” reads the court’s decision, written by Justice Michael P. Donnelly.

Challenges to the maps were based on the constitutional amendment overwhelmingly passed by voters in 2018 requiring that maps be drawn to reflect Ohio voter trends over the past decade — that’s 54 percent Republican and 46 percent Democrat. Instead, the congressional map reflects a 12-3 Republican advantage, or 80 percent Republican to 20 percent Democrat.

In rejecting the state legislative maps, the Ohio Supreme Court gave the Ohio Redistricting Commission 10 days to redraw those lines that don’t gerrymander districts.

Regarding the congressional maps, the state Legislature will have up to 30 days to draw more fair maps. If lawmakers can’t agree in that time, the responsibility would go to the Ohio Redistricting Commission, which would then have 30 more days to produce a map.

After the original process took months of meetings, discussions and map drawing, Ohio legislators now have what boils down to just a matter of days to redraw all these maps to coincide with the high court’s orders. Indeed, their work is cut out for them.

We are disappointed that we are in this situation, and we urge legislators to take this task seriously, devoting the necessary time and effort to meet the mandate of the voters and of the court.

In what certainly stands to become a rush to get this done, we caution members of the commission and legislators in Columbus not to settle merely on quick “work-arounds” to district lines — particularly if they lead to easily dividing a Mahoning Valley congressional district.

We were pleased that the Valley remained united in the original new maps.

Now, we realize it is uncertain what will happen to the Mahoning Valley in a new map.

The congressional map rejected by the high court had the entirety of both counties in a Republican-leaning district with eight counties to the south.

Senate Democrats had proposed a map that split Mahoning County with its eastern portion in a Republican-leaning district that also included all of Trumbull and the rest of Mahoning in a solid Republican district with southern counties.

A dissenting court opinion, putting Mahoning and Trumbull in a single district with Columbiana County was mentioned in a positive light.

We agree and believe they should be united in a single district. Certainly, few communities have as many common interests — economic development, transportation and infrastructure, along with struggles against joblessness and poverty and even cultural, athletic and social engagement — as the cities of Youngstown and Warren and the counties of Trumbull and Mahoning.

As we have used this space multiple times last year, we again point out that our counties have too many shared agencies, initiatives and projects, as well as common obstacles, benefits and visions for our region to end up splintered into districts headed by congressional leaders who might not share the same visions.

Frankly, common ground shared by Mahoning and Trumbull counties, and even neighboring Columbiana County, would be too much to lose, should the Valley become slices of other regions’ sociopolitical pies.

This is why we have been so adamant from the very beginning that Mahoning and Trumbull counties remain part of the same district.

We believe slicing up the Valley into multiple districts would have a grim effect on the Valley by severely muting its collective voice. On this argument, even as legislators go back to the drawing board, we must not surrender

editorial@vindy.com

SCRIPTURE

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us.

1 John 4:18-19 ESV