As Americans, one person, one vote is one of our core values. This means that each person has one vote. It also means that each of our votes should count equally. In November, we will vote on this value, and by voting Yes on State Issue 1 we confirm this value.
In the last ten years, Ohioans voted twice to end gerrymandering by overwhelming majorities. We, the citizens, believed we had fixed the problem. However, the ruling politicians refused to abide by the Ohio Constitution. They repeatedly developed district maps that the Ohio Supreme Court rejected – seven separate times – as unconstitutional. And they were never held accountable. That’s why we, the citizens, are once more seeking to end gerrymandering.
So, how do we get fair districts and end gerrymandering? By removing the politicians from the redistricting process. State Issue 1 does this by creating an independent redistricting commission composed of 5 Republicans, 5 Democrats, and 5 Independents. It will clean up our political process by barring participation from politicians, lobbyists, and major donors.
The opposition would like us to believe that we’ll be giving up accountability, while the opposite is true. Under the current system, politicians set voting district boundaries. In this way, they get to choose their own voters. Politicians easily get re-elected, thus avoiding accountability.
In the current gerrymandered system, few districts are competitive. Competition in business brings down costs for consumers. Competition in politics increases choices for voters. With greater competition, politicians won’t slide by just appealing to a small group of voters. Instead, they will have to address needs and issues that are important to most Ohio citizens, issues like full funding for public schools. More competitive elections will thus increase our politicians’ accountability.
State Issue 1 has been endorsed by over 100 grassroots organizations representing good government, families, education, business, workers, and more. Over a half million citizens signed the petition to put this initiative on the ballot. By joining together, we can build a better future for Ohio. Vote YES on State Issue 1.
Meg Galipault
Mount Vernon, Ohio