Bipartisan
Redistricting Reform Clears Last Legislative Hurdle Before
Voters Have Final Say in May
Following months of negotiation, the Ohio House last week
passed Senate Joint Resolution 5, bipartisan legislation
that puts a constitutional amendment before voters in May to
restrict congressional gerrymandering in the state.
“After months of negotiation, thousands of Ohioans speaking
out, and several false starts, we’re closer to stopping
congressional gerrymandering today than we have ever been
before. Though imperfect, this latest plan represents one of
the most fundamental tenets of our American democracy –
compromise,” said House Democratic Leader Fred Strahorn
(D-Dayton). “We support this plan today, with the hope
and expectation that it will help impart that same spirit
and guiding principle of cooperation on Washington in the
near future.”
Democratic House expressed concerns over several parts of
the proposed plan that they see as loopholes that, in
extreme cases, could still allow partisan congressional
district rigging. Ultimately, most Democrats still supported
the final language in the resolution.
“By working together and making compromises, we are at a
point today where Ohioans will have better representation,
fairer districts and a stronger Democracy than before,” said
state Rep. Jack Cera (D-Bellaire), a member of the
legislature’s four-person congressional redistricting
working group. “Voters deserve to feel like they’re being
heard and that their vote counts. This bipartisan compromise
will begin to bridge that divide that has put Washington’s
political interests above the public’s for too long.”
If approved by voters in May, the reform plan will be the
first time fairness criteria for congressional districts
will be included in the state’s constitution. Included among
the plan’s changes are the right for a citizen-led
referendum on any map, the governor’s authority to veto a
map, requirements to limit community and county splits, and
bipartisanship requirements for a 10-year map.
Here is what other House Democratic lawmakers are saying
about today’s vote on SJR 5:
“While SJR 5 is not a perfect piece of legislation, it is
better than what we have now. I appreciate all the work that
has been done by the committee legislators, the coalition
advocates and I especially appreciate the work by those who
have been out collecting signatures to ensure fairer
districts,” said state Rep. Nickie J. Antonio
(D-Lakewood). “Ultimately, redistricting reform is about
taking back our democracy and ensuring that the people have
the opportunity to elect representatives who reflect their
constituency rather than politicians selecting their
constituents.”
“The passage of SJR 5 is a compromise that will give voters
the opportunity to vote on how Ohio draws our congressional
districts,” said OLBC President and state Rep. Stephanie
Howse (D-Cleveland). “The process outlined in the
resolution is not perfect, but it is a step forward to
strengthening our democracy and drawing congressional
districts that equitably represent Ohio.
“When we work together to achieve compromise, sometimes we
end up with a solution that has flaws. Ohioans can trust
that this solution was hard fought,” said state Rep.
Tavia Galonski (D-Akron).
"This is the start of a conversation regarding redistricting
and developing a bi-partisan plan that involves fair
representation of Ohio’s voters,” said state Rep. Michael
Ashford (D-Toledo). “One serious issue is addressing the
split of congressional districts and keeping districts fair
and whole"
“In 2015, over 71% of Ohioans voted to change the
redistricting process. While I am still concerned about the
splitting of Ohio’s largest population counties and the lack
of provision to guarantee voting rights, SJR 5 is a marked
improvement over Ohio’s current method of drawing our
congressional districts,” said state Rep. Kent Smith
(D-Euclid). “I voted for SJR 5 because it’s an
improvement, but I did not cosponsor this legislation
because it could be better.”
“This resolution speaks to the legislature’s ability to come
together and do what’s right, even in this highly stratified
political environment,” said state Rep. Glenn Holmes
(D-Girard). “I am confident that the deliberative
process that gave us this compromise will result in better
representation for all of Ohio’s citizens.”
“Today’s actions are the result of an effort in compromise.
Although nothing is perfect, I applaud the bipartisan effort
the authors of this legislation intended to create a fair
and solid framework to improve the structuring of
congressional districts and form a better representation of
Ohio’s voting citizens,” said state Rep. John Rogers
(D-Mentor-on-the-Lake). “It is my hope Senate Joint
Resolution 5 will allow our congressional districts to be
more representative, more responsive and certainly less
dysfunctional. There is always room for improvement at the
federal level, and is my hope that this legislation will
enable Ohio’s congressional delegation to improve their
representation of our citizens and their interests.”
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