If you think you would have a knack for creating congressional districts, here's your opportunity to do it.

Plain Dealer guest columnist (and manager of the Ohio Campaign for Accountable Redistricting) Jim Slagle wrote this weekend about Draw the Line Ohio, which lets voters create their own maps - and have a chance at winning some money.

From drawthelinemidwest.org/ohio/competition:

You can draw state legislative and congressional districts for Ohio – using the same population and election data used by public officials.
Plans will be scored by objective criteria: preserving county boundaries; compactness; competitiveness; and representational fairness.
Winning plans will be eligible for $5000 in cash prizes and will be submitted to the Legislature and Apportionment Board for their consideration.

Sounds easy enough, right?

If you want in, visit drawthelinemidwest.org/ohio and click on "Join the Contest to Draw a Better Map". Sign up for an account to draw a map, or enter the site as a guest to see what other Ohioans have come up with.

I've blogged before about redistricting, and I can't stress enough how important this topic is going to be in the next year. Ohio currently has 18 congressional districts (click here for the map), and two of those are disappearing for the 2012 election because of the state's population loss.

If you're not sure what goes in to redistricting, check out The ReDistricting Game for a fun explanation of the process. (If you like puzzles, you'll seriously enjoy this.) For a more thorough explanation of the process, see Draw the Line Midwest's Redistricting 101 page.


-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

U.S. Rep Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, said this week that because of redistricting, he might run for the House of Representatives in another state.

Population changes have led to the loss of two congressional seats in Ohio. When the state is redistricted, the seat Kucinich currently holds might be eliminated.

"This isn't my choice, though," he said. "It is being forced upon me. What I am not going to do is simply play the role of a victim to redistricting, because I don't look at life that way."

Click here to read more about Kucinich's possible move from The Associated Press.

Confused about how redistricting works? Click here to read more about the process (and to find a game that explains really well).


-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

Last week, I wrote that after redistricting is completed, it’s quite possible that Lake County could wind up with three Ohio House of Representatives districts.

The change could occur because Ashtabula and Trumbull counties have lost population while Lake County has gained during the past 10 years.

Ashtabula County also shares a portion of the 99th House District with five townships in Trumbull County.

That Trumbull County territory shared with Ashtabula County might be needed for other House districts in Trumbull.

So if that scenario happens it would dramatically change how the 18th Senate District is shaped because state law requires each Ohio Senate District to contain three House districts.

Currently, the district is comprised of Lake, Geauga and portions of eastern Cuyahoga counties and is represented by state Sen. Tim Grendell, R-Chester Township.

The House districts within the 18th Senate District are the 62nd, consisting of western Lake County and Concord Township, and the 63rd, consisting of Mentor and eastern Lake County, plus the 98th that consists of Geauga County, and Gates Mills, Highland Heights and Mayfield Village in Cuyahoga County.

If the Madison area is joined with the 99th House District, as is quite possible, then Lake County’s Ohio Senate district would most likely be redrawn so that the district is comprised of Lake and Ashtabula counties, dropping Geauga and eastern Cuyahoga counties. Just like it was 10 years ago.

Geauga County’s new state Senate district would likely move south toward Portage County and potentially into the eastern portion of Summit County.

Best guess is Geauga County’s new Senate district and the 98th House District would no longer include Cuyahoga County.

So if Lake County joins with Ashtabula County to form a Senate district, how would that affect potential partisan candidates?

Ashtabula County with 65,010 registered voters traditionally leans Democrat and had 19,594 Democrats and 10,069 Republicans registered at last count.

Lake County, known as a bellwether county, has 157,387 registered voters who are mostly independent. The county had 11,241 Democrats and 12,577 Republicans registered at last count.

So when the political parties nominate candidates in primary elections in 2012 for state Senate, could it be a Lake County Republican vs. an Ashtabula County Democrat?

You may remember that Roaming Shores Democrat Robert Boggs, former Ohio Department of Agriculture chief, county commissioner and state representative, was the 18th District’s senator in the 1990s prior to the tenure of Republican Robert A. Gardner of Madison Township.

Concord trustee bid?
Is attorney Erik L. Walter planning another bid to run for Concord Township trustee this November? Trustee Connie Luhta is up this year. Walter ran for trustee in November 2009, but lost to Trustees Christopher A. Galloway and Paul R. Malchesky. Walter and Bob Patterson also ran in 2007, but Luhta fended off their challenge.

Fundies
n Willoughby Hills Mayor Robert M. Weger: 5 to 7:30 p.m., Wednesday at Willoughby Hills Community Center for “Envision the Future” pasta dinner. See Tom Lobe, Gloria Majeski or Darleen Weger.

n Karen Kowall, candidate for Willoughby Municipal Court judge: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. March 3 at Pine Ridge Country Club, Wickliffe. See Marisa Cornachio or Dana Lutz.
n Lake Commissioner Dan Troy: Mardi Gras Party, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. March 8 at Holiday Inn Express LaMalfa Centre in Mentor. See Kip Molenaar.

n Jamie Callender, candidate for Ohio Senate, will host a Mardi Gras party from 6 to 8 p.m. March 8, at the Quail Hollow Inn in Concord Township. See Jamie or Heidi Callender.

John Arthur Hutchison’s column appears Sundays in The News-Herald.
JHutchison@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @newsheraldjah

The buzzword before next week's election should be "redistricting," and an Associated Press article in Tuesday's News-Herald focuses on just that:

The GOP could capture new Senate or House majorities in a dozen to 18 states — along with critical new power to redraw district maps and influence elections for a decade to come. Three of the biggest prizes are New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. All three states are expected to lose seats in Congress as a result of the 2010 census, and that's sure to ignite boundary fights. A party's congressman on the wrong end of redistricting can find the district he's represented for years no longer exists.

That's right: Ohio likely will lose at least one of its 18 Congressional districts, which means someone is losing his or her job. Ohio's population loss since the 2000 Census is putting us in position to lose representation in Washington, and the party that is elected into power next week will determine how the next Congressional districts are drawn.

Wondering how that works? The ReDistricting Game (at www.redistrictinggame.org) can explain that better than I.

Created by the USC Game Innovation Lab and developed for the USC Annenberg Center for Communications, The ReDistricting Game lets users redraw Congressional districts while keeping the current representatives happy. Once you have the correct number of residents in each district, you get feedback to make sure you have done what the party leaders want you to do. That could include drawing districts your party will win, or drawing districts that will keep all the constituents in office, regardless of party. Once you submit your plan for approval, the State Legislature must vote in favor of your plan. Then the governor has to sign it. Then it has to successfully make it through challenges in court to be accepted.

The game can get pretty difficult as your progress through levels, but it is a pretty fun way to learn about a topic that only makes it into the news every 10 years. If you're a political person who likes puzzles, you'll probably enjoy figuring out how to get this one to work. (And the game has some subtle wit, like with the characters Libby Rahl and Connor Servative.)

After playing the game, check out a current map of the Congressional districts in Ohio here. This is the last election for which these 18 districts will exist. Which districts are going away? How will the new ones be drawn? It depends a lot on who is voted into office next week.


-- Cheryl Sadler
CSadler@News-Herald.com