Update: On May 8, Ohio voters approved a bipartisan plan to end partisan gerrymandering. Yes on Issue 1 posted the following statements, calling it a victory for Ohio voters.
After years of a rigged political system, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle finally put their differences aside and agreed on a fix for Ohio’s gerrymandered, partisan districts. That fix is Issue 1 and it’s been pretty much endorsed by everyone: Republicans, Democrats, Independents, Ohio League of Women Voters and even former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Now you can add OCSEA to that list of organization endorsements.
At the April meeting, the OCSEA State Board of Director’s endorsed a YES on Issue 1. And if it passes May 8, Issue 1 will end the crazy meandering legislative districts that shoot through city suburbs only to slice through country-sides sometimes hundreds of miles away. That’s why legislators like Congressman Steve Stivers (D-15) represent constituents in the heart of the City of Columbus and all the way down to Vinton County in Appalachia, Ohio. That’s why the district that connects Cleveland and Toledo is called “the snake on the lake.” It’s crazy!
Issue 1, albeit not perfect, at least is better than the system Ohio currently has in creating legislative maps. It puts in place a commission that decides when the parties reach an impasse, as well as other steps that must be followed when legislative lines are drawn.
Learn more at OCSEAVotes.org.