Democrats in the Ohio House of Representatives announced plans Thursday to introduce a resolution that would provide legal support for November’s No. 1, a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at reforming the state’s redistricting process by replacing map-making politicians with citizens.
The resolution will probably not be voted on, as the general meeting will be held only after the elections. Moreover, defeating the Republican majority in Ohio would be unlikely.
House Minority Leader Allison Russo and State Rep. Terrence Upchurch, R-Cleveland, co-authored a resolution “expressing support for a ‘YES’ vote on Issue 1 – Citizen-led voting initiative to end gerry gerrymandering in Ohio.”
“This resolution is necessary because there is a constant stream of lies and disinformation about the true nature of No. 1, especially regarding the approved ballot language that was intentionally misleading and deceptive,” Russo said in a statement.
Upchurch is a member of the Ohio Ballot Board, which considered (and ultimately adopted by a 3-2 vote) summary wording that appeared on the ballot when voters were deciding whether or not to support Issue 1. He was one of two people on the committee who voted against the summary written by Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, with language that prompted the amendment’s framers to sue the committee to prevent that language from appearing on the ballot.
The Ohio Supreme Court considered eight different changes requested by citizens, not politicians, who argued that the language in the summary was misleading and dishonest. The state supreme court rejected all but two of the changes, largely leaving the language in place.
Upchurch said the legislative measure was needed to “cut through the lies and help voters know the truth,” and called Ohio “one of the most gerrymandered states in the country.”
The current redistricting process runs through the Ohio Redistricting Commission, which is made up of elected officials including the governor, secretary of state, state auditor and four legislative leaders, two from each party.
Six different Statehouse and two Congressional district maps have gone through the current redistricting process. The Ohio Supreme Court found five Statehouse maps unconstitutional, and both congressional maps were thrown out by the court as unconstitutional.
A federal court ordered Ohio voters to exploit the last of these gerrymandered Statehouse maps in 2022, as time expired for the commission to produce a constitutionally approved map, and these are the districts lawmakers currently hold.
Last fall, another set of Statehouse maps was adopted with bipartisan support. This included Russo, who stated that she voted in favor to take the redistricting process out of the commission’s hands once and for all. Democratic members of the committee then said they supported the maps after Republicans suggested they would otherwise unilaterally impose maps even less favorable to Democrats.
The Democratic resolution supporting Issue 1 states that the redistricting process “has historically been controlled by politicians and lobbyists, resulting in districts that serve political interests rather than the people of Ohio.”
“Whereas allowing citizens to participate in the redistricting process will strengthen Ohio’s democracy, improve the integrity of our elections, and restore confidence in our political system,” the resolution states.
The General Assembly will not return from its summer break until November, after the elections.
This is not the first time the General Assembly has decided to take a position on a ballot initiative.
Last year, before the November election, Republicans in the Ohio Senate passed resolutions opposing this year’s No. 1which amended the state constitution to include reproductive rights, and Edition 2recreational marijuana law.
Senate Democrats condemned the resolutions and their opposition to the measures, but the resolutions opened up the opportunity for lawmakers to speak out on the issues “because they can defend their votes on the resolution or insist that the public support or oppose these measures,” Senate Democrats said at the given time.
“Under normal circumstances, members of the General Assembly would not be permitted to use their office or state resources to endorse positions on citizen-led voting,” the October 2023 statement said.
