SACRAMENTO -- When the Ohio Supreme Court first struck down state legislative maps drawn by the Ohio Redistricting Commission, Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor suggested that Ohioans consider the creation of “a truly independent, nonpartisan commission that more effectively distances the redistricting process from partisan politics.” As a current member of California’s Citizens Redistricting Commission, I thought this would be a good opportunity to tell you about why independent redistricting might be the right approach for Ohio.
A century ago, my grandparents immigrated from southern China and settled in Oakland, where my parents and then my generation were all born and raised. We attended public schools and were active in our Baptist church. I was raised to be law-abiding, to read the paper daily, to vote in every election, and to be a good neighbor. I was taught to value personal and family responsibility, financial prudence, academic achievement, and respect for authority. Based on such values, we were a Republican home. When I came of age in 1979, I registered as a Republican and have been one ever since.
I applied for a spot on the 2020 Citizens Redistricting Commission (CRC) in California because I became deeply worried about our democracy. Free and fair elections built on trust, peaceful transfers of power, country and community held higher than party, principled debate, norms of comity and respect for tradition -- these had all become like family treasures removed from safekeeping and sold at the pawn shop for a wad of partisan power.
The CRC presented the perfect opportunity to reinforce one vital part of democracy, fair and equitable voting districts, and to truly be on everyone’s side. I persevered through the selection process, with over 20,000 applicants getting whittled down to 120 interviewees, and then a finalist pool of 35.
The first eight commissioners were selected by lottery -- and my ball didn’t drop. Those eight then selected the final six, including me. Elected officials only had one small role, striking a limited number of candidates before getting to the finalist pool. California had decided in 2008 that it was impossible for politicians to keep partisanship from distorting the redistricting process. The CRC was created by ballot initiative to form a panel of non-politician citizen redistricters, with five Democrats, five Republicans, and four who are neither of those two.
But could a panel of laypeople successfully redistrict a populous, geographically complex, and demographically complicated state? The 2010 CRC was a high-wire act against a ticking clock. It defied many expectations by successfully completing and defending its maps, which have served the Golden State well this past decade.
Our 2020 CRC faced new challenges: COVID and unprecedented Census delays. Nevertheless, we, too, completed our maps on time, and approved them with a unanimous vote. We also defied expectations by receiving no legal challenges to our maps, saving taxpayers millions of dollars of legal costs.
Russell Yee is a member of the 2020 California Citizens Redistricting Commission.
CRC members shared a commitment to fair and equitable maps, which required leaving most partisanship at the door. During our work (which was done with full, live public access), I doubt anybody could have correctly guessed every one of our political affiliations. Each of the 14 of us were there to represent all Californians, believing that only with fair and equitable maps can there be free and fair elections.
In 1932, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis wrote that each state may serve as a “laboratory” for democracy, experimenting with new laws and approaches to serving the common good. As the Ohio Redistricting Commission submits its third set of state legislative maps, I hope Ohioans will consider an approach to future redistricting cycles that increases transparency and fairness while reducing partisanship. Ohio and California are very different states, but we’re both part of the experiment that is American democracy. May we both continue to seek ways to help form a more perfect union.
Russell Yee is a Republican member of the 2020 California Citizens Redistricting Commission.
Have something to say about this topic?
* Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication.
* Email general questions about our editorial board or comments or corrections on this opinion column to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com.