“This certification is a historic step towards restoring fairness in Ohio’s electoral process,” said Republican former Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, who spearheaded the movement after retiring from a court that repeatedly found that the politicians who were tasked with drawing Ohio’s maps did so unfairly.
The state is once again looking at a costly and high-stakes constitutional amendment fight heading into November, underlined by the fact that nearly all of Ohio’s prominent Republicans have expressed staunch opposition to the measure while Democrats — gravely outnumbered in the Ohio House and Senate despite making up about a little less than half of the voting population — have regarded it as something close to a magic bullet.
“This campaign should be called political outcomes over people,” said Ohio Senate Majority spokesperson John Fortney in a Tuesday evening statement, arguing that the amendment would actually practice gerrymandering to manufacture “political wins for the progressive left.”
Next steps involve a yet-to-be scheduled Ohio Ballot Board meeting where LaRose and select lawmakers will decide how to title and explain the proposal on voter’s ballots.
If supported by a simple majority of Ohio voters this November, the amendment would establish the Citizens Redistricting Commission.
Backers insist the citizen commission would be nonpartisan and disconnected from politicians’ interests, while opponents say the commission would lack accountability, given that the members would be lesser-known and wouldn’t have to answer to voters.
The commission would consist of five Republicans, five Democrats and five unaffiliated registered voters. The panel would meet more often than the current politician-led and Republican-dominated Ohio Redistricting Commission is required to meet. It would also be bound to do more actions, such as the actual map drawing, in public — a significant diversion from the current process, which is largely done behind closed doors.
Note: This is a developing story. This article may be updated as more information becomes available.
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Avery Kreemer can be reached at 614-981-1422, on X, via email, or you can drop him a comment/tip with the survey below.
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