美国国家公共电台 NPR--俄亥俄州规则允许每4年重新绘制国会地图

Ohio rule allows for the possibility of redrawing congressional maps every 4 years

Transcript¹

Ohio lawmakers are drawing up a new congressional district map after the previous attempt was ruled unconstitutional by the state supreme² court.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Most states redraw congressional district lines every 10 years. But a unique provision in Ohio's state constitution, which was meant to foster bipartisanship, could lead to new maps every four years.

Ohio Public Radio's Andy Chow reports.

ANDY CHOW, BYLINE³: Ohio lawmakers are drawing up a new congressional district map this month after the previous attempt was ruled unconstitutional last month by the state Supreme Court. Justices said the map gave an unfair advantage to Republicans and went against anti-gerrymandering reforms passed by voters in 2018. The rejected map appeared to favor Republicans in 12 out of the 15 congressional districts drawn⁴. Six states changed their redistricting process since congressional maps were last drawn in 2011. And while Ohio's changes mirrored some of the fair district provisions enacted⁵ in other states, there's one very unusual exception. If Ohio's maps, which are drawn by elected officials, do not get bipartisan support, they only last for four years.

HEATHER TAYLOR-MIESLE: Ohio can be bizarre.

CHOW: That's Heather Taylor-Miesle with the Ohio Environmental Council, who was in on negotiations⁶ in 2018 when lawmakers and community groups were trying to reach a deal on redistricting reform. She said the threat of a four-year map was intended to encourage Republicans and Democrats⁷ to reach a deal that lasts 10 years. But she says that backfired.

TAYLOR-MIESLE: What started off as a claim to encourage bipartisanship has turned into something that is cynical⁸ and something that allows cheating.

CHOW: Michael Li, senior counsel with the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU, says that's because Ohio isn't the swing state it used to be.

MICHAEL LI: Since those reforms first started, Ohio has become a much more reliably Republican state. If you're a Republican in Ohio today looking at the system thinking, my gosh, you know, we have to redraw maps in four years, that's a bet that you're probably willing to take 'cause you're betting that your party will be in control in four years.

CHOW: On the flip⁹ side, Democrats who face a GOP supermajority in the state legislature have fallen back on the anti-gerrymandering guardrails to force redraws of maps heavily skewed to Republicans.

Ohio House Speaker Bob Cupp, a Republican, emphasizes that the entire redistricting process is new for the state, but says, at least initially¹⁰, the four-year map provision has not worked.

ROBERT CUPP: It does not look like a four-year map is an incentive¹¹ to get a 10-year map. In fact, the incentive may be reversed. The incentive may be to do a four-year map and see what happens in four years.

CHOW: Taylor-Miesle, whose group is among the organizations fighting the new congressional district map in court, says Ohio's experiment with four-year maps should be a warning to other states.

TAYLOR-MIESLE: This four-year shenanigan needs not only to be of concern to people who live in the Buckeye State, but the entire nation because this sets up cheating regardless of what party you are a member of.

CHOW: The next draft of Ohio's congressional district map is attracting national attention for the implications it might have on tipping the scales in the U.S. House. The legislature has until February 13. In the meantime, voter rights advocates are debating whether another change is needed to Ohio's redistricting procedure - possibly a push to create an independent commission.

For NPR News, I'm Andy Chow in Columbus.

(SOUNDBITE OF BLUTONE'S "ILENE")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

5 enacted   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• legislation enacted by parliament 由议会通过的法律
• Outside in the little lobby another scene was begin enacted. 外面的小休息室里又是另一番景象。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

6 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

7 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 cynical   

adj.(对人性或动机)怀疑的，不信世道向善的

参考例句：

• The enormous difficulty makes him cynical about the feasibility of the idea.由于困难很大，他对这个主意是否可行持怀疑态度。
• He was cynical that any good could come of democracy.他不相信民主会带来什么好处。

9 flip   

vt.快速翻动；轻抛；轻拍；n.轻抛；adj.轻浮的

参考例句：

• I had a quick flip through the book and it looked very interesting.我很快翻阅了一下那本书，看来似乎很有趣。
• Let's flip a coin to see who pays the bill.咱们来抛硬币决定谁付钱。

10 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

11 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。