What do you mean ALMOST RIGGED?

Search results for gerrymandering shot above one million hits. Is the CNN production titled
"Why your vote for Congress might not matter"  By James Polk, CNN the reason?

Some things you might not know:

....... "David Wasserman, redistricting expert for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, says only 20 races for Congress are expected to be tossups in the 2012 election. That's only 20 out of the 435 seats in the House."............

Or the history behind gerrymandering......

Or why segregation is an issue....  Watch or read

Watching Gerrymander

On Nov. 28, 2011 Google search results:

gerrymandering  = 1,120,000 results

gerrymander  =  634,000 results

end gerrymandering  = 1,470,000

end gerrymander  = 884,000

Ohio Democratic Party: Sign the Petition to Stop the Republican Gerrymander!

Dear Juanita,

This week, Chairman Chris Redfern held a press conference to launch the petition campaign to repeal House Bill 319, Republicans’ unfair, gerrymandered Congressional map. And now, petitions are available in Fairfield County.

We asked you to sign the Senate Bill 5 petition. We asked you to sign the petition to repeal the voter suppression bill. And now… you guessed it… we need you to add your signature to this petition as well.

Below is an opportunity to sign in your county.

WHERE: Fairfield County Democratic Party HQ
118 N. Columbus St., Lancaster OH

WHEN: Friday 11/4 - Saturday 11/5: 9am - 9pm
Sunday 11/6: 12p - 9p
Monday 11/7 - Tuesday 11/8: 12p - 9pm
Additional hours coming soon

Additional signing locations will be announced across the state. Click here for the latest information.

Signing this petition will make sure we have competitive elections that result in fair Congressional representation for all Ohioans. And it will stop Republicans from locking in an egregious, unfair map for an entire decade.

Just like before, we need 231,147 signatures (including YOURS!) to put this issue on the ballot.

We hope to see you soon.

Sincerely,

Your friends at the Ohio Democratic Party

Letter from Ohio Democratic Party - Chris Redfern

Date: Friday Oct. 14, 2011

Dear Juanita,

Late Friday afternoon, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled 7-0 that the Republican-drawn, gerrymandered congressional maps can be subject to a voter referendum.

Make no mistake - this is a history-making victory for all of us. We told John Kasich and his extremist allies in the legislature the day they signed HB 319 into law that we would not back down until the will of the people was heard.  And yesterday, it was heard loud and clear by the court’s decision.

Over the last few weeks, Ohioans from every corner of the state joined our effort to take our case to the Ohio Supreme Court and expose the blatantly partisan congressional map they drew.  Thousands of you donated to our legal fund and urged the Supreme Court to rule the way it did today.

But this is not the end. In fact, this is where the repeal of HB 319 begins.

On Monday morning, our coalition of Ohioans for Fair Districts will request that the Ohio Supreme Court restart the 90-day window for collecting signatures to repeal House Bill 319.  And we are prepared to take whatever steps are necessary to make sure that the people’s voice continues to be heard, and that Ohio isn’t split into the pieces of their partisan puzzle.

Will you add your name to the group of Ohioans who tell John Kasich and Jon Husted, “enough is enough”?  Will you consider another generous contribution today of $10 or $15 that will be spent exclusively in the coming days towards the repeal of 319?

Thank you for everything,

Chris Redfern

(read) The Hidden Hands in Redistricting  
...... the first chapter in an in-depth Pro Publica examination of how powerful players are turning to increasingly sophisticated tools and techniques to game the redistricting process, with voters ultimately losing. 

The GOP War on Redistricting

By ARI BERMAN

AUGUST 30, 2011 7:40 PM ET Rolling Stone

..... a new crop of GOP governors and state legislators has passed a series of seemingly disconnected measures that could prevent millions of students, minorities, immigrants, ex-convicts and the elderly from casting ballots.

(WATCH) As Democracy Now host Amy Goodman talks with Lois Beckett

and Ari Berman

From Statehouse News Bureau  (about Ohio election changes) two items

Democrats sue over Congressional map,  saying GOP was wrong  with an attempt to block a ballot move By Jo Ingles - September 28, 2011 Panel approves maps for Ohio House and Senate lawmakers' districts over Democrat's objection I'd like to know........ The Ohio Apportionment Board has 4 Republicans and 1 Democrat, how that is a fair representation of Ohio?   The ratio of Rs to Ds is not 4 to 1 in our state if you look at the 2008 Governor race... Gov. Strickland barely lost the contest. The apportionment board should more fairly represent Ohio voters. Also, this report will tell you that "even some majority members on the board say they want to change the process..."Well if board members really believe that why didn't they vote with the lone Democrat? Why did they pass the map first and then complain about the process?  That is like the man who beats his wife. He knows its wrong but what the heck, nobody stopped him.

Third Party Candidate Not Viable

An independent with no partners appealing to a nonexistent congressional center? Fuhgeddaboudit.........
So writes Norman J. Ornstein and Thomas E. Mann in their Washington Post Opinion piece on 9/13/2011

Looking for Gerrymander on Google

On September 17, 2011 Google search results:

 gerrymandering = 966,000

 gerrymander = 826,000

 end gerrymandering = 427,000

 end gerrymander = 157,000

Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee 'Get Local' Map

      Democrats Control Both Houses
      Republicans Control Both Houses
      Parties Control One House Each
      Nonpartisan Unicameral Legislature

Looking for Gerrymander on Google

On April 25, 2011 Google search results:

end gerrymander = 350,000

gerrymander = 247,000

gerrymandering = 491,000

Elections in The Cloud

Why not let the voters redraw the districts? By that I mean, create an election for this one purpose - to define the districts of the state.
Gerrymandering is a legitimate part of the political process, the problem is not enough political parties are represented in the gerrymandering process. Open the process to the top political parties in each state and allow the districts to be created in a cloud instead of a GPS location.
The political parties in the gerrymandering process would be determined by the special election. Voters would declare their political preference at the special election. The number of districts determined by the census would be divided based on results of the special election.

Here is another option Choice Voting

Looking for Gerrymander on Google
March 20, 2011
Search Results Stats
"end gerrymander" = 241,000

"gerrymander" = 179,000

"gerrymandering" = 528,000

On April 6, 2011 
Search Results Stats
"end gerrymander" = 353,000

"gerrymander" = 282,000

"gerrymandering" = 633,000

"If this secret plan stands, they ought to call it: the U.S. House of Self-Preservation," said Olga Hernandez, president of the League of Women Voters of Virginia. Richmond Times Dispatch Virginia Politics

Midwest States Launch Campaign to Pull Back Curtain on 2011 Redistricting
League of Women Voters - Ohio
League of Women Voters of Ohio

Please Florida: Do NOT Let Rick Scott Get Away With This!
We must demand that Rick Scott stop illegally obstructing the implementation of the Fair Districts Amendments.

Will gerrymandering become a trending topic on twitter?
My answer - I hope so.
I just found a twitter account called "End Gerrymander" the author doesn't have a huge number of tweets so I conclude it is a new account. I decided to follow this account because the author has good links to stories I missed. Seems to be covering every state. Which is good because this is the year redistricting is supposed to happen.
If you want to read current news articles about gerrymandering I recommend following "End Gerrymander" twitter account.

Blue Dogs File Bill to Stop Gerrymandering : Roll Call Bt Christina Bellantoni Jan. 27, 2011
Redistricting reform legislation filed by Democratic Reps. Jim Cooper (TN) and Heath Shuler (NC)