Through the Franklin County Democratic party, I had the opportunity to participate in several canvasing events this past month. On October 11th and 12th I canvased the Clintonville and Northland areas from 12- 2 pm as a part of their “knock on doors” campaign to end gerrymandering and promote their “Yes on 1” end event.
The main object of this was to speak to potential voters about the upcoming election and the Citizens Not Politicians amendment, which calls for the banning of lobbyists and politicians from participating in redistricting.
Prior to being sent out we were briefed on Ohio’s troubling history with gerrymandering, noting that it is one of the 10 most gerrymandered states within the America and that its district map had been found to be unconstitutional seven times
During my canvassing in Northland on October 11th I found that many residents were not home. Though the few that did answer the door, did not seem too interested in hearing about issue 1. For those willing to engage with us we began by informing them on the gerrymandering issue affecting Ohio at large. With a Republican majority in the Ohio statehouse there has been a distorted representation of Ohio’s voter population.
To explain issue 1 we simply state that it aims to reform the way Ohio’s voting districts are drawn, establishing new rules for redistricting such as calling for more transparency on how district maps are drawn,
This as a result returned the power back to Ohio citizens. As a part of the canvassing event we implored voters to care about voting yes on issue 1 on the ballot in the upcoming election to end Gerrymandering, ensuring every voter’s voice is heard.
An interesting encounter I had was with a man who had a Trump 2025 sign on his front porch. We began by introducing ourselves by stating:
“Hello, we are volunteers for the Franklin County Democratic party, do you have some time to speak with us about issue 1”.
He replied hesitantly, “yeah I guess that’s fine”.
We proceeded to explain what we were canvassing the area and informing Ohio residents about issue 1 on the upcoming election. We began to have an open discussion about gerrymandering. We agreed on its undemocratic nature, though when I began to state that Republicans have a majority in Ohio’s statehouse the dynamic shifted. He began to be more forgiving to Ohio Gerrymandering within legislative districts, going so far as to stating that
“Ohio is not really gerrymandered, the people vote for what they want” .
Even after stating that Ohio’s districting map had been found unconstitutional seven times, he dismissed this stating that the courts were packed with, “those democrats” and that it wouldn’t have been ruled that way if the courts had an equal distribution of Democrats and Republicans.
Canvasing the community of Clintonville I saw many homes with Harris and Walz, Sherrod Brown, and “Vote yes on 1″ signs on their front lawns. Conversations with community members revealed many of them to be already well informed of the impact gerrymandering has posed on Ohio districts and were very passionate about voting for issue 1.
My experience talking to a woman within the Clintonville community stood out to me. I introduced myself as a volunteer for the Franklin County Democratic Party and stated that I was out canvassing the area and informering Ohio voters about issue 1 on the ballot this upcoming election. To this she stated that she was already planning to vote yes on issue 1 due to the gerrymandering. She identified herself as a Democrat stating that Republicans are “out of their minds” as she expressed her fear for the upcoming election.
In both my encounters with Ohio voters it reflected the deep political polarization present where individuals distance themselves from opposing parties. The effects of political polarization can be seen throughout the “Us” versus “Them.” rhetoric used (McCoy, Rahman, Somer) demonstrating how polarization can escalate fostering environments for the spread of misinformation and divisiveness. As noted by researchers, the loyalty to in-groups while increasing out-group conflicts can be seen to diminish the willingness to cooperate across party lines (McCoy,Rahman, Somer)
Weaponized communication can be seen to be a dangerous catalyst to advancing polarization. The growing use of “Us” versus “Them” rhetoric within America’s political parties provides a domain for which propaganda, conspiracy theories, hate speech, disinformation and misinformation can distort public sentiment allowing for furthering the ideological divide between both parties (Mercieca) due to the growing link between american social identity and political parties (Mason).
The risk that polarization generates for Ohio’s state legislature can be seen due to the increase in political mobilize, this election year with tensions rising between Democrats and Republicans. On a state level, gerrymandering can be seen to be a historical political tool distorting Ohio constituents and their voting power.
In 2015 Ohioians recognized a need for reform, with seventy-one percent of Ohioans voting to pass an amendment to the state constitution demanding reforms, requiring for the districts to have a proportional makeup between the General assembly and the political makeup of the state ( Mayer).
As a result Republican members drafted a new district map presenting it to the Ohio Supreme Court multiple times, though continuously getting struck down, essentially running out the clock. Due to the lack of education about the power held by the state legislature in local governments it allows for it to be manipulated easily.
The current Republican majority within the Ohio state legislature has resulted in political gridlocks within Ohio’s state legislature, making it difficult to pass policies, aligning with democrat ideologies such as that of gun reform or access to abortion. Due to the Republican majority and extremism legislation, Ohio is a “stand your ground” state though a 2018 poll revealed that 61- 75% of Ohio voters wanted to enact new gun-control laws such as raising the minimum age to buy semi automatic rifles and banning high powered semi-automatic rifles. Ohio law also prohibits abortion after six weeks, while a 2019 poll showcased that only 39% of Ohio voters supported the heartbeat law.
The deep rooted polarization between America’s dual party system has time after time been demonstrated within Ohio communities. Throughout my experience canvassing it highlighted the critical role that grassroot engagement plays in the fight against Gerrymandering in Ohio. Throughout my interactions with Clintonville and Northland voters it became evident that there are many challenges posed by the distortion of districting and political polarization that can complicate the dialogue presented. Though with many of my interactions there was a shared sentiment for reform regarding Gerrymandering. Less than a month away, as Ohioans prepare to vote it is of great importance to emphasize the importance of addressing the issue of gerrymandering to ensure that democracy ensures the will of Ohio citizens.
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