Ohio Legislature Puts Redistricting Reform on May Ballot

Common Cause Ohio to Put Shoulder Into Passing It.

Following weeks of negotiations among Common Cause Ohio and other members of the Fair Districts=Fair Elections coalition and leaders of the state legislature, a congressional redistricting reform measure will be on the ballot in May. Legislators filed the paperwork with the Secretary of State’s office this morning to ensure voters will have a chance to pass this reform in the spring.

“This referendum is a huge victory for Ohio voters and it is one that Ohioans earned by making their voices heard in Columbus,” said Catherine Turcer, Executive Director of Common Cause Ohio. “The state legislature did nothing to reform congressional boundaries after we passed state legislative redistricting reform in 2015. It was only when we collected more than 200,000 signatures that the leaders at the Ohio Statehouse started to truly focus on ending congressional gerrymandering. This meaningful reform is all thanks to the passionate, record-breaking work of redistricting reformers all over the state.”

 “This victory shows the power of a committed citizenry working to hold elected officials accountable,” said Kathay Feng, Common Cause National Redistricting Director. “In a true representative democracy, voters must choose their politicians, and politicians have no business choosing their voters. Too many Ohio voters have been denied a voice in Washington and this ballot measure will help change that.”

The measure creates a bipartisan process for drawing congressional district lines and puts important guard rails in place, including rules keeping communities together and opportunities for citizen mapmaking and engagement. For too long, the political party in power manipulated the district lines creating “safe” districts, making it hard to hold our elected officials accountable. 

Ohio voters overwhelmingly passed reform of the state legislative redistricting process in 2015, thanks to the efforts of the Fair Districts=Fair Elections coalition. Common Cause Ohio and the rest of the coalition have committed to throwing their full weight into ensuring congressional redistricting reform passes in May.

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