COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Supporters of a proposed redistricting amendment in Ohio pledged to take legal action after the state ballot board approved language for the fall election that they argue is misleading and manipulative. Citizens Not Politicians, the group backing the amendment, criticized the Republican-led board for its portrayal of the measure, which would create a 15-member citizen redistricting panel.
The approved ballot language describes the panel as “not elected by or subject to removal by the voters of the state.” It also frames restrictions on lobbyist and political influence over the map-drawing process as limitations on free expression. One particularly controversial addition claims the amendment “specifically requires” partisan gerrymandering, even though the measure is designed to prevent it.
Catherine Turcer, executive director of Common Cause Ohio and a coalition member supporting Issue 1, likened the wording to George Orwell’s “1984.” She said, “The way the ballot language plays with the word ‘gerrymandering’ to make it mean the opposite of what it does is jaw-dropping.”
Critics Call Ballot Language a Misrepresentation of Redistricting Reform
Jen Miller, executive director of the Ohio League of Women Voters, announced that a legal challenge would be filed next week in the Ohio Supreme Court. Miller emphasized that this fight underscores the need to remove politicians from the redistricting process, accusing them of repeatedly violating the law and undermining voters’ trust.
The ballot language characterizes Issue 1 as repealing “constitutional protections against gerrymandering” that voters approved in 2015 and 2018. However, that system led to seven sets of maps that were ruled unconstitutional for favoring Republicans.
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who chairs the ballot board, defended the language. He said his team carefully crafted the 900-word summary to be a fair representation of the more than 7,000-word proposal from Citizens Not Politicians, which submitted only a brief summary of the amendment.
Source: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/ohio/articles/2024-08-16/groups-opposed-to-gerrymandering-criticize-proposed-language-on-ohio-redistricting-measure
