COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Three local groups held an event Thursday night on why voters should vote yes on Issue 1, Ohio’s proposed redistricting amendment.
With only 12 days to go until Election Day, the future of how districts are drawn in Ohio hangs in the balance. By Nov. 6, Ohioans will have decided if they want to keep the current redistricting commission made up of seven politicians by voting no on Issue 1, or create an independent commission of 15 citizens by voting yes.
Former Ohio Supreme Court Justice Yvette McGee-Brown feels voting yes is the best thing for the state.
“What’s important about democracy is that you have the right to access your elected representatives,” McGee-Brown said. “So, with issue one it really gives power back to the people Instead of politicians selecting their voters, voters get to select their representatives.”
The groups — We Are Ohio, Union Strong, Common Cause and League of Women Voters of Ohio — held a community meeting to raise awareness and urge people to vote yes on issue one and what has transpired throughout this campaign leaving many people feeling positive.
“We collected 730,000 signatures, we had people who stood out in the snow, in the rain, that I believe that the citizens of the state would not be voting used about Issue 1, so I’m hopeful,” McGee-Brown said.
Those on the other side of the issue like Republican strategist Ryan Stubenrauch believe the system proposed just would not work and would completely change the districts as seen in other states.
“The former chair of the Michigan redistricting commission was here in Ohio urging Ohioans to vote no,” Stubenrauch said. “She talked about her experience there and how things, you know, as well-intended as they may have been in Michigan, they just didn’t work.”
There is also the question of what this ballot measure will do about gerrymandering, as some on the right feel it would further the practice throughout the state.
“It removes the gerrymandering protections that we voted overwhelmingly for in 2015 and 2018, and it replaces them with Issue 1,” Stubenrauch said. “One of the worst things that Issue 1 does is that it requires gerrymandering.”
Some on the left note that the language is quite specific and does the complete opposite.
“That is the lie that they keep promoting,” McGee-Brown said. “I mean, when I think about what the ballot board did to say that Issue 1 requires gerrymander, but, you know, if you read the legislation, it’s specifically prohibiting gerrymandering.”
The full language of Issue 1 can be read below. Ohioans have until Nov. 5 to cast their ballot either in person or via absentee ballot.
