Redistricting favored Ohio Republicans

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http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stories/index.ssf?/base/isope/1165838137105590.xml&coll=2

Redistricting favored Ohio Republicans

Monday, December 11, 2006
David Hammer
Associated Press

Washington- Ohio voters shifted to the Democratic Party in 2006, but Republicans will continue to represent most of the state in Congress.

Experts say a Republican-run process of redrawing congressional districts early in the decade allowed the GOP to hold onto 11 of 18 seats on Election Day, even though Democrats won about 53 percent of the congressional votes statewide.

Last month was the first time this decade that Democrats captured more total votes than Republicans. In 2002, Republicans won 57 percent of all votes cast for major-party candidates and 12 of 18 seats.

In 2004, a presidential election year when an additional 2 million votes were cast, two Democrats had no Republican opposition, but the GOP still collected 51.3 percent of all major-party votes and held their 12-6 advantage in the delegation...

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1. Redistricting and vote fraud cost the Democrats about 20 seats.