A ballot counter machine. (Photo by Graham Stokes for the Ohio Capital Journal. Republish photo only with original story.)
Ohio House Democrats announced plans on Thursday to introduce a resolution that would give legislative support to November’s Issue 1, the proposed constitutional amendment to reform the state’s redistricting process by replacing politician mapmakers with citizens.
The resolution likely won’t get any vote, as the general assembly is not scheduled to meet until after the election. Furthermore, it would be unlikely to overcome Ohio Republican Statehouse supermajorities.
House Minority Leader Allison Russo and state Rep. Terrence Upchurch, D-Cleveland, are co-sponsors for a resolution “expressing the support of a ‘YES’ vote on the Issue 1 citizen-led ballot initiative to end partisan gerrymandering in Ohio.”
“This resolution is necessary because there is a constant stream of lies and misinformation surrounding the true nature of Issue 1, especially following the approved ballot language that was intentionally confusing and misleading,” Russo said in a statement.
Upchurch is a member of the Ohio Ballot Board who considered (and eventually passed 3-2) summary language that would appear on ballots as voters choose whether or not to support Issue 1. He was one of the two people on the board who voted against a summary written by Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, language that led amendment creators to sue the board to prevent the language from appearing on ballots.
The Ohio Supreme Court considered eight different changes requested by Citizens Not Politicians, who argued the summary language was misleading and deceptive. The state’s highest court rejected all but two of the changes, largely letting the language stand.
Upchurch said the legislative resolution was needed to “cut through the lies and help voters learn the truth,” and he called Ohio “one of the most gerrymandered states in the nation.”
The current process of redistricting goes through the Ohio Redistricting Commission, which is made up of elected officials including the governor, the secretary of state, the state auditor and four legislative leaders, two from each party.
Six different Statehouse district maps and two congressional maps went through the current redistricting process. Five of the Statehouse maps were ruled unconstitutionally gerrymandered by the Ohio Supreme Court, and both congressional maps were rejected by the court as unconstitutional.
A federal court ordered Ohio voters to use the last of these gerrymandered Statehouse maps in 2022 as time had run out for the commission to come up with a constitutionally approved map, and it is those districts lawmakers are currently occupying.
Another set of Statehouse maps were adopted with bipartisan support last fall. That included Russo, who said she voted in favor in order to take the redistricting process out of the hands of the commission once and for all. Democratic members of the commission said at the time they supported those maps after Republicans suggested they would unilaterally impose maps even less favorable to Democrats otherwise.
The Democratic resolution in favor of Issue 1 states that the redistricting process “has historically been controlled by politicians and lobbyists, leading to districts that serve political interests rather than the people of Ohio.”
“Whereas, empowering citizens to be a part of the redistricting process will strengthen Ohio’s democracy, enhance the integrity of our elections and restore trust in our political system,” the resolution states.
The General Assembly is not scheduled to return from their summer break until later in November, after the election.
This isn’t the first time a resolution has been brought forth in the General Assembly to take a position on a ballot initiative.
Last year, prior to the November election, Republicans in the Ohio Senate passed resolutions opposing that year’s Issue 1, which changed the state constitution to include reproductive rights, and Issue 2, a statute on recreational marijuana.
Senate Democrats denounced the resolutions and their opposition of the measures, but the resolutions opened the door for legislators to speak on the issues “as they can defend their votes on the resolution or urge the public either support or oppose the measures,” a statement released by Senate Dems at the time stated.
“Under normal circumstances, members of the General Assembly would be prohibited from using their office or state resources to endorse a position on a citizen-led ballot issue,” the statement in October 2023 read.
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