COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Let’s get straight to the point: When it comes to the presidential election, the Buckeye State is not what it once was.
OSU Professor Emeritus of Political Science Dr. Paul Beck sums it up like this:
We’re no longer a swing state, which means candidates don’t campaign here as much as they used to. They used to come here all the time.”
But even if the presidential election campaign here seems to have already been decided, these reasons may inspire you to vote.
Number one: Constituency manipulation
Beck doesn’t sugarcoat it.
“Ohio has emerged as the most gerrymandered state in the Union.”
He adds that the effects of constituency manipulation are noticeable here.
The Democrats would probably have a slim majority in the House of Representatives if it weren’t for the kind of gerrymandering that happened in Ohio and Wisconsin and some other states as well. And of course this has a massive impact on state legislatures, and that’s certainly true in Ohio,” said Dr. Beck.
That’s why the group Citizens Not Politicians will ask voters to approve an amendment to the state constitution that would give citizens (not politicians) the power to decide on legislative proposals.
Governor DeWine, the leading opponent, believes Ohio should use the system Iowa has used for two decades – a system based on census figures.
They would be prohibited from doing so. Whoever draws the map would be breaking the law if they looked behind the census. They have to look at the census and draw the maps accordingly,” DeWine said.
A leading supporter, retired Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor (also a Republican), tweeted:
With this amendment on the ballot, Ohioans have a chance to reclaim their power from self-serving politicians who seek to stay in power long past their expiration date.”
Number two: A man from Ohio is a presidential candidate
US Senator JD Vance – much of the hype surrounding him sounds more like a buzz saw, but Beck says it’s going to be a bumpy ride.
There is always a phase where the other side always attacks the last person elected.”
And in the end it probably won’t matter.
“Trump won’t admit he made a mistake by choosing Vance. But I don’t think that will matter. Voters aren’t choosing a vice presidential candidate,” says Dr. Beck.
The most important election campaign here in Ohio is probably the U.S. Senate race.
Beck says: “This race could decide who will have the majority in the Senate in the future.”
Republican Bernie Moreno is running against incumbent Sherrod Brown. Brown is one of the few Democrats elected to the Senate in states that voted heavily for Trump, along with Joe Manchin in West Virginia, who is retiring.
West Virginia is going Republican, and that brings Republicans one step closer to a majority in the Senate,” says Dr. Beck. “I think if the Democrats could keep their majority in the Senate, that would be a huge victory for them.”
