Fairly drawn district maps are essential to a thriving democracy. Ohioans overwhelmingly know this as we have voted for amendments to the Ohio Constitution to end gerrymandering twice. These reforms set rules for creating state and federal maps so there would be bipartisanship, local communities would be kept together, and district boundaries would be more compact. However, they kept the map making process with the elected officials. Like a puppy that gobbles up a dropped chip, politicians can’t resist drawing the maps to keep themselves in power. When it came time to redraw our maps again after the 2020 census, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled them unconstitutional seven times!
Issue 1 finally fixes the problem. The rules about drawing fair maps remain to keep communities together, but Issue 1 puts citizens like us in charge of the maps and takes politicians (elected officials) and lobbyists out of the equation. Retired judges from both parties will select from a pool of applicants to set up the commission, which will consist of five Republicans, five Democrats and five Independents. These citizens cannot be elected officials, family members of elected officials, party leaders or lobbyists.
Of course, the politicians don’t like this amendment. It takes their power to rig the system away. When it passes, they’ll have to work to get elected and actually talk to voters not just to deep-pocketed campaign donors. They are so afraid of this amendment they’re doing everything they can to confuse voters, including using biased ballot language.
Luckily, Ohioans aren’t voting on the ballot language. We are voting for the amendment. The intent of the ballot headline for Issue 1, I am sure was intended to dissuade voters, but I think it sums it up perfectly: “To create an appointed redistricting commission not elected by or subject to removal by the voters of the state.”Well, duh!Politicians are the ones elected by the voters and we don’t want them on the commission. Politicians are trying to make it sound like because the commission isn’t elected, that’s somehow a bad thing. However, that’s the whole point! We want politicians out of the map-making process. They’ve proven seven times they can’t be trusted.
731,306 Ohioans representing every county signed the petition to get Issue 1 on the ballot. Don’t let the shenanigans and trickery of those politicians fool you into voting the way they want you to. Vote Yes on Issue 1! Vote early now or on Nov. 5!
Shar Katzner
Bowling Green
