Why is gerrymandering bad?
UC professor explains stakes of politically driven redistricting
WOSU's show Untangled turned to a University of Cincinnati political science professor to explain the consequences of gerrymandering in state redistricting maps.
UC College of Arts and Sciences Professor David Niven explained how gerrymandering can have unexpected consequences, particularly in small towns that are divided into multiple congressional districts.
Political scientists say in many gerrymandered districts, the primary decides who will win the lopsided general election. As a result, candidates often race to stake out extreme positions to appeal to the hard-right or hard-left bases. And those positions often conflict with the views of many of their constituents.
And in states that have been politically gerrymandered, voters lose much of their ability to hold elected officials accountable.
As a result, state legislatures that benefit from gerrymandering with supermajorities sometimes can be out of step with voters. That happened in 2023 when 57% of Ohio voters enshrined abortion rights in the state constitution through a ballot question in opposition to the views of the Republican-dominated Legislature and governor.
Niven said gerrymandering that ignores the geography of municipal or county boundaries for the sake of political advantage can create confusion among voters when towns get split into multiple districts.
“They look out their front door and see a yard sign for a congressional candidate and they can't vote for that candidate because they're not in that district,” Niven told WOSU.
And Niven said members of Congress are likely to pay less attention to towns where they represent just a fraction of voters.
Ohio voters will decide a ballot question in November backed by Citizens Not Politicians that would replace the Ohio Redistricting Commission composed of elected officials with an independent 15-member panel of Republicans, Democrats and political independents. Retired judges would appoint the commission members.
Featured image at top: UC political science Professor David Niven says gerrymandering can have unexpected consequences long after elections. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand
Related Stories
From hobbyist photographer to professional educator
October 9, 2026
DAAP alum and photographer HATSUE studied communication design after a pivot in high school from a track toward veterinary school. Today, they teach photography at 1001 Colors white working as an artist and curator in Cincinnati.
UC researcher to launch national study with $2.5 million NIH grant
October 9, 2026
A University of Cincinnati researcher has received a $2.5 million National Institutes of Health grant to conduct research during the next five years. Natalie Kreitzer, MD, a University of Cincinnati College of Medicine physician-researcher, received an R01 independent research grant from the NIH's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The funding will support a test program for caregivers of patients with traumatic brain injury, as reported by the Cincinnati Business Courier.
Lighting up the skyline for Blink
October 9, 2026
A team of University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music students designed “Echoes of Light,” a music-and-light installation on Ohio’s largest mural for BLINK, Cincinnati’s massive public light and art festival.