Political reformers across America are paying close attention to how Ohioans vote on May 8. But it’s not about candidates or political parties. It’s about how you vote on Issue 1, the ballot measure that would end gerrymandering of Ohio’s congressional districts. Gerrymandering is when politicians draw the boundaries of those districts in order to create an unfair advantage for one political party over another. Ohio voters get the first say on the topic of ending gerrymandering this year before voters consider similar ballot initiatives in November in Michigan, Missouri, Utah and Colorado. Seventy-one percent of Ohio voters approved another Issue 1 in 2015 to end gerrymandering of state legislative districts. This year’s Issue 1 ends gerrymandering of federal congressional districts. If passed, it would create a fair system to draw congressional district lines in an open, transparent manner, with citizen input. It’s a common-sense reform that would bring fairness and a level playing field to congressional elections.
Issue 1 is a true grassroots effort. Hundreds of hardworking volunteers from the Fair Districts = Fair Elections Coalition gathered more than 200,000 signed petitions that pressured the Ohio General Assembly to take action to put a reform proposal on the ballot. Getting the word out to Ohioans about the importance of this issue has been a collaborative, nonpartisan effort that includes the League of Women Voters of Ohio, Common Cause Ohio, the Ohio Environmental Council, Ohio Voice, Innovation Ohio and many other organizations, including Represent Ohio, the local affiliate of my organization.
Full Article: Opinion: Redistricting proposal unites strange bedfellows.