Draw The Lines, Make The Rules

Democrats do it. Republicans do it. Independents would do it if they could, but they seldom get the chance. In 1812, when Massachusetts Governor Gerry redrew state senate districts to benefit his party, one Boston-area district was dubbed a salamander. Since 2011, our Northwest Ohio district has been called "the snake by the lake." Either way, it's called gerrymandering.

If you're interested in politics, come to the Westshore Unitarian Universalist Church, 20401 Hilliard Blvd in Rocky River on Friday October 7 at 7 p.m. David Daley, editor of Salon magazine and author of "Ratf**ked: The True Story Behind the Secret Plan to Steal America's Democracy," will explain what was different about the latest gerrymander, and what it will take to draw new lines in Ohio and other states.

The Westshore Social Action Committee and the League of Women Voters (LWV) are co-sponsoring this free lecture. The LWV neither supports nor opposes candidates or political parties, but it does advocate on public policy positions.  Since 1980, LWV-Ohio has advocated for redistricting by bipartisan commission with citizen participation to achieve congressional and state legislative districts that are compact, contiguous, bounded by a non-intersecting line, and follow local political boundaries as much as possible.

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Volume 12, Issue 20, Posted 5:03 PM, 09.27.2016