We highlighted that despite Ohio voters in the aggregate preferring Democrats over Republicans in the 2012 election, the Republicans will hold a probable super majority 60-39 as a consequence of extreme partisan gerrymandering. The Dispatch was prompted by this result to produce an article about redistricting
But over and over again, opponents of the redistricting plan, be they Republicans or editorial-page writers, noted that their opposition was not based on the belief that the current system of drawing legislative and congressional districts is good.
In fact, most acknowledged that it remains badly in need of an overhaul.
But if was this paragraph in the article that prompted us to take an even deeper look
We analyzed Ohio House of Representative results for each of the past 6 election cycles. By aggregating the votes for Democrats and Republicans in contested races we found a systematic, and extreme disenfranchising of Democratic representation in Ohio
| Year | Democratic | Republican | D Seats | R Seats |
| 2012 | 2,418,815 | 2,362,310 | 39 | 60 |
| 2010 | 1,447,949 | 1,696,064 | 40 | 59 |
| 2008 | 2,296,678 | 1,982,281 | 53 | 46 |
| 2006 | 1,832,548 | 1,605,801 | 46 | 53 |
| 2004 | 1,869,051 | 2,036,398 | 38 | 60 |
| 2002 | 1,243,671 | 1,364,656 | 36 | 63 |
| Total | 11,108,712 | 11,047,510 |
Based upon the preferences of voters, Democrats should have controlledthe General assemblies after the 2012, and 2006 elections - but were denied by partisan gerrymandering. Furthermore, the majorities that Republicans did earn in all of their successful years should have been much, much smaller - and never reacher super majority status.
Indeed when one looks at the sum total of votes in contest races over the past decade, rather than being center right, the results indicate a center to center left leaning electorate.
It is simply not possible to conclude that Ohioans have been legitimately represented in the 21st century by their preferred choices, either in actuality or in scope. We have a crisis of democracy in Ohio.
