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OLBC Concerned
GOP Redistricting Plan Falls Short of Real Reform for Ohio
Voters
Urge colleagues to support measures to eliminate partisan
mapmaking
As state lawmakers debate Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 5, a
Republican-led proposal to change the way Ohio draws its
legislative districts, the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus
last urged state lawmakers to consider amending the bill to
address
concerns many voting rights
and redistricting reform experts have
regarding
SJR 5.
“Gerrymandering has turned the idea of the ballot box being
America’s great equalizer on its head, allowing politicians
to choose their voters rather than having voters choose
their politicians,” said OLBC President and state Rep.
Stephanie Howse (D-Cleveland). “SJR 5 only makes what’s
wrong with current law worse. SJR 5 keeps the authority to
redraw districts within the state legislature and eliminates
key controls that seek to end rigged districts and give Ohio
voters fair representation.”
Democrats and redistricting reform advocates
have
argued this plan allows for political manipulation of the
redistricting process.
“Our goal isn’t to limit ways a map can be gerrymandered,”
said State Sen. Vern Sykes (D-Akron). “Our goal is to end
gerrymandering all together, and SJR 5 doesn’t accomplish
that.” Sen. Sykes is a member of the Congressional
Redistricting Workgroup, a bipartisan group of lawmakers
charged with finding ways to reform Ohio’s congressional
redistricting process. “Ohioans spoke loud and clear in 2015
when they overwhelmingly supported common sense reforms to
the way we draw state districts and we want to replicate
that effort.”
Ohio voters submitted and
overwhelmingly approved
Issue 1, a 2015 ballot initiative to remove the state
legislature from drawing its own seats, and instead placing
that authority in the hands of the Ohio Redistricting
Commission.
SJR 5 keeps the congressional map-drawing authority with
legislators in the General Assembly. The plan would be
approved with a three-fifths majority of lawmakers,
including one third of the minority party. Should the body
fail to approve the plan, the Ohio Redistricting Commission
would create either a 10-year map with minority consent or a
four-year map without. A four-year map could become a
10-year map if approved by the General Assembly.
If approved by the General Assembly, SJR 5 would head to a
ballot to be considered by Ohio voters later this year.
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