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For immediate release Contact: Carrie Davis, LWV Ohio, 614.469.1505 Columbus, OH -- The Fair Congressional Districts for Ohio ballot proposal, a congressional redistricting reform measure that mirrors a state legislative district reform that was placed on the ballot by the legislature and won overwhelming approval from voters in 2015, is one step closer to being put before voters. The Fair Congressional Districts for Ohio campaign applauded today’s approval by the Attorney General of the proposed ballot issue summary. Next, the Ohio Ballot Board must meet to approve the measure as one ballot issue, and then the campaign can begin collecting signatures statewide. “Today’s approval of our ballot summary by Attorney General DeWine brings us one step closer to putting Fair Congressional Districts before voters,” said Carrie Davis of the League of Women Voters of Ohio. “The Fair Congressional Districts for Ohio campaign seeks to amend the Ohio constitution to give voters a choice and a voice in our Congressional elections.” “In 2015, Ohio voters overwhelming approved new ‘Fair Districts’ rules for how state legislative districts are drawn and we want to see Fair Districts rules for Congress too. What’s good for the Statehouse is good for Congress,” added Catherine Turcer of Common Cause Ohio. The Attorney General rejected the ballot committee’s initial submission, with instructions to add two more points to the ballot issue summary. The committee immediately redrafted the summary, per the Attorney General’s instructions, collected additional signatures, and re-submitted it on May 10, 2017. “We are pleased that the summary was approved by the Attorney General and look forward to the collection of more than 305,000 signatures in order put congressional redistricting reform before Ohioans,” said Heather Taylor-Miesle of the Ohio Environmental Council. “The state legislature has taken too long and redistricting advocates from all over all Ohio are eager to bring this important reform directly to the people.” The Bipartisan Congressional Redistricting Reform Amendment would amend Article XI of the Ohio Constitution to transfer responsibility for redrawing congressional district lines to the bipartisan Ohio Redistricting Commission, whose establishment was approved by an overwhelming 71.5 percent of Ohio voters in 2015. Currently, the state legislature is responsible for drawing congressional districts and bipartisan approval is not required. The proposed reform would go into effect the next time Congressional district lines are redrawn following the 2020 census. The Fair Congressional Districts for Ohio Ballot Committee is comprised of Carrie Davis of the League of Women Voters of Ohio, Catherine Turcer of Common Cause Ohio and Heather Taylor- Miesle of the Ohio Environmental Council. For more information about the proposal and upcoming events and trainings, visit the Fair Districts = Fair Election Coalition’s website fairdistrictsohio.org. ###
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By Carrie Davis, League of Women Voters of Ohio
 Tips so that your book club can make the most out of reading Ratf**ked: 1. Check out the Elephant in the Room for the inside story of how political consultants drew congressional and state legislative district lines in a hotel room 500 feet from the Ohio Statehouse in 2011. 2. Bring congressional map to the book club so that you can check out the crazy district lines. 3. Make sure that everyone has a chance to share and let them know that there are all sorts of ways to get involved so that we have fairer maps and fairer elections in 2021. By Marci Bird, Delaware Ohio I think it is safe to say that I was not the only one in shock in mid-November 2016. There were folks across the entire political spectrum that were more than a bit surprised that Donald Trump was our president-elect. I really wanted to understand why and how our political system works. I worked the polls in a very Republican area and the turnout was – to borrow a word from our new president—stupendous. It was evident to me before I left for the evening that I was seeing something that the pollsters had missed. I mean, where did all these voters come from? There were so many folks that had not voted in such a long while. Many needed a thorough explanation of the machine voting process and reassurances that their votes would, indeed, all be counted. It was really quite incredible. Voting is democracy in action and the turnout was inspiring. That being said, I am a “blue” and there were few “blues” on our ballot and lots of uncontested races. Few voters identified themselves as Democrats at the polls I manned that day. The turnout was overwhelmingly red. And the results reflected this. This confused me. We live in a swing state and this got me thinking… Did few Democrats show up at these uncontested races? Or were there no Democrats on the ballot because no Democrats showed up to vote? Was this outcome that extraordinary an event and if so, how did it evolve to the point where we had a complete outsider with a disdain for all things political as our president? I mean, it didn’t seem that many of my “red” friends or family were that thrilled with the outcome either. Honestly. They expressed via social media and personal messages that they had voted “red” despite their misgivings because they had simply not felt listened to or taken seriously by the people in Washington for years. They were tired of working hard, sometimes at more than one job, with nothing to show for it, of not being able to find work in their own communities, of having to choose between clothes and a home for the kids, of losing health care coverage and pensions and of their own medication being taken off the table. They said they just wanted to try something new. Someone that was not part of the establishment. Something different. Maybe someone would listen and help bring back their dignity. So my next question was why had no one been listening all along? Isn’t it the job of our elected officials to help all of their constituents, not just the ones who voted for them? How could it be that so many people had suffered in silence— not because they did not speak out but because they were not being heard—for so long? If the people that were supposed to be served by the system were this unhappy, there had to be a reason and likely a systemic problem. I felt as if I had a responsibility to understand what had happened and why. And I, a bookish introvert, did what bookish introverts do. I looked for books. And I decided to start a book club. Still, I was not sure where to start. Then, on November 17, 2016, I was driving down SR315 and I heard David Daley on All Sides with Ann Fisher on WOSU. He was discussing the research that he had done to write his book Ratf**ked: The True Story Behind the Secret Plan to Steal America's Democracy. Daley explained that Republican consultants focused on winning state legislative races – and using “dark money” to get a leg up – in 2010 so that Republicans would be responsible for making legislative and congressional maps. Gerrymandering or the manipulation of district lines for partisan advantage is nearly as old as our country— and both parties engage in it-- but this REDMAP Project marginalized the Democratic Party in states like Ohio and insulated incumbents of both political parties.  If the Democratic winners of Democratic leaning districts and Republican winners of Republican leaning districts only have to worry about the Primary Election or Primary voters or partisans, then they are not likely to listen to, or be accountable to the majority of the voters in their own districts. No wonder ordinary voters feel neglected.
It’s easy to ignore voters if all you have to worry about is the Primary. So then voter, if you feel you have no voice, why would you show up to vote? Why have faith in the establishment? And, conversely, why not show up to vote in droves for the unknown outsider who promises he hears you and he will answer to you? This was my eureka moment. This made sense. The system was broken and we were all hurting for it. As soon as I arrived at my destination that day, I pulled out my phone and ordered Ratf**ked. I finished reading it by the end of the week and I began to tell everyone about the book and how it had clarified to me that this current gerrymandered system hurt us all, not just Democrats but all voters. We deserve real elections. Mapmaking by the political party in power led to a lack of accountability and extremism in both parties. This led to a lack of compromise on policy proposals and without compromise and bipartisan support, common sense proposals do not become actual policy. I met Cheryl at the Ohio Electoral College official count day. We had sat next to each other by fortunate coincidence and started to talk about how we were feeling and what we personally needed to feel as if we could start to make a difference, which was an understanding of how we got here in the first place. I told her about Ratf**ked and asked her what she thought of the idea of a book club that read books and studied issues relevant to the current political situation in the US. She thought it was a great idea and she was in. Next, I met a group of folks that were educating themselves on policy, civic engagement and activism. I mentioned my book club idea to them and some members were enthusiastic about the idea. Thus, Relevant Reading, the book club, was born. Our first selection was Ratf**ked. Our discussion on the subject was interesting. I felt this most deeply when several members of the group mentioned that the book made them feel hopeful. This book about how our voting rights were skillfully manipulated away from us, showed them that there was a problem with the system, not with the people governed by the system. Fixing a system, making our representatives accountable for their actions and forcing them to listen to their constituents—all their constituents—was something we could actively work on. We could make a difference. We could volunteer for the Fair Districts = Fair Elections Coalition and work on the Bipartisan Congressional Redistricting Reform Initiative. We could talk to people across the political spectrum about how this deliberately broken system has worked to disenfranchise us and to put hyper-partisanship above governance. During our book club on April 20, we were able to take action:, we signed a petition to get congressional redistricting reform on the ballot. And then we selected our next book. We were all grateful for the insight Mr. Daley provided us on how we got to where we are and how to move forward so that we can improve representational democracy. I look forward to learning more with and from the ladies in Relevant Reading Book Club. Congressional Reform Measure Mirrors State Reform Measure Approved by 71% of the Voters in 2015
Columbus, OH— Less than a week after the Ohio Attorney General rejected a ballot summary to create fair congressional districts across the state, the Fair Congressional Districts for Ohio Ballot Committee submitted an amended ballot summary, the original reform ballot language, and more than triple the required one thousand signatures from voters. The Fair Congressional Districts for Ohio initiative mirrors the legislative redistricting reform plan that Ohio voters endorsed by a vote of 71-29 percent in 2015, applying it to Ohio’s Congressional Districts. “In only four days, over a hundred redistricting reform advocates collected more than 3,000 signatures from 32 counties around the state,” said Carrie Davis of the League of Women Voters of Ohio. “This shows just how broad and deep the passion runs to end gerrymandering in Ohio once and for all.” “Redistricting reformers from all over Ohio came together to quickly collect enough signatures to submit the updated summary,” said Catherine Turcer of Common Cause Ohio. “In 2015, voters in every county across Ohio overwhelmingly supported state legislative redistricting reform. What’s good for the Statehouse is good for Congress. It’s time to end the manipulation of congressional districts because they warp the outcomes of elections.” The partisan makeup of congressional districts perfectly predicted the political party of the winner in every single Ohio congressional race since 2012. In 2016, every Ohio congressional incumbent won, with an average margin of victory of 36.3 points. The Fair Congressional Districts for Ohio Ballot Committee is comprised of Carrie Davis of the League of Women Voters of Ohio, Catherine Turcer of Common Cause Ohio and Heather Taylor-Miesle of the Ohio Environmental Council. Petitions were submitted from the following counties: Adams, Ashtabula, Athens, Butler, Clark, Cuyahoga, Delaware, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Geauga, Greene, Hamilton, Knox, Lake, Lawrence, Licking, Lorain, Lucas, Mahoning, Marion, Mercer, Montgomery, Pike, Portage, Scioto, Stark, Summit, Union, Warren and Wood. For more information about the proposal, visit the Fair Districts = Fair Election Coalition’s website fairdistrictsohio.org. Contact: Catherine Turcer, Common Cause Ohio at 614-579-5509. The Fair Congressional Districts for Ohio Ballot Committee statement on the Attorney General’s disapproval of the ballot summary: Columbus, OH--We are disappointed that our summary was rejected by the Ohio Attorney General. The denial of the summary by the Attorney General was due to a technicality in which we did not explicitly state that the Ohio Supreme Court would have exclusive jurisdiction over challenges, and that the bipartisan Ohio Redistricting Commission would be reconstituted if a congressional redistricting plan or map is deemed not to be valid. Today’s denial by the Attorney General is merely a speedbump on the road to reform. The Fair Congressional Districts for Ohio ballot committee remains committed to redistricting reform because Ohio’s congressional districts are some of the most intricately and egregiously gerrymandered in the country. The manipulation of districts warps the outcome of congressional elections and creates “safe” seats protecting incumbents, making it nearly impossible for voters to hold our elected officials accountable. It is not unusual for summaries to be rejected once before final approved by the Attorney General. The Fair Congressional Districts for Ohio Ballot Committee is comprised of Carrie Davis of the League of Women Voters of Ohio, Catherine Turcer of Common Cause Ohio and Heather Taylor- Miesle of the Ohio Environmental Council. For more information about the proposal, visit the Fair Districts = Fair Election Coalition’s website fairdistrictsohio.org. Contact: Catherine Turcer, Common Cause Ohio, 614-579-5509. ###  After waiting patiently for legislative action, the Fair Districts = Fair Elections Coalition has decided to take congressional redistricting reform directly to the people.
For the past two weeks Coalition members quickly collected the first thousand valid signatures to kick off a congressional redistricting reform ballot campaign. Yesterday, these voters’ signatures, the proposal and the summary were submitted to the Attorney General. This is the first step in the process of putting congressional redistricting reform before the voters. A big thank you to those of you who collected the initial signatures! Carrie Davis, Executive Director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio said, “This is a critical effort to ensure fair districts and fair elections for every congressional seat in Ohio. When members of Congress have safe seats drawn to guarantee which party wins, the real losers are the voters.” In 2015, voters overwhelmingly supported the passage of state legislative redistricting reform. Issue 1 of 2015 passed by more than 70% and won in all 88 counties. Unfortunately, the Ohio General Assembly has not acted on the mandate to put congressional redistricting reform before the voters. It’s a long road to the ballot but Ohioans are fortunate to have direct democracy! After the summary is approved by the Attorney General and the Ballot Board to review the submission, we will being the large-scale signature-gathering effort. We will need to collect 305,591 valid signatures of voters (in 44 of Ohio’s 88 counties five percent of total vote cast for the office of governor in that county in the last gubernatorial election). It will take activists from all over the state to put congressional redistricting reform on the ballot. Sign up today to collect help collect signatures! Summary of Proposed Amendment to the Ohio Constitution
 By Catherine Turcer, Common Cause Ohio
After months of public comment, the Fair Districts = Fair Elections Coalition has finalized its congressional redistricting reform proposal. The proposal is very similar to Issue 1 of 2015 that was passed by the voters in 2015. Issue 1 was passed by more than 71% and won in all 88 counties. What's good for the Statehouse is good for Congress! The Fair Districts = Fair Elections Coalition has been waiting for the Ohio General Assembly to put congressional redistricting reform on the ballot, the way that they put on state legislative redistricting reform before the voters in 2015. Unfortunately, they have not acted leaving redistricting reformers with only one option-- a citizen-initated ballot measure. The congressional redistricting reform proposal is simpler than Issue 1 of 2015 because citizen-initiated ballot measures are more likely to pass if easily digested. Congressional districts are smaller so the the focus of mapmaking is on the larger building blocks of counties. Summary of the Proposed Amendment
Sign up for one of our many volunteer opportunities. If you have questions about volunteering, please email the Fair Districts = Fair Elections Coalition or give us a phone call. Email: ohiofairdistricts@gmail.com Telephone: 614-259-8388 .
 The vote was close and both logos had fans. Laura Cotton who voted for the winner said, “The purple is great from a symbolic perspective, but the other is really a better design. It will also be cheaper to print only 2 colors.” “Both are good designs, but Option A seems more direct, clean and simple to recreate,” commented Jan Underwood. Mary Ann Barnes describes her reason for supporting the winning logo, “While option B cleverly colors us as a purple state, I prefer the greater simplicity and use of one less color tone in option A. Option A would be easier to use for printed materials, with or without color.” Katie Valeska Wright who created the logos is excited to work with the Fair Districts = Fair Elections campaign and said, “Redistricting reform is my number one cause because without fair and competitive elections, we don't have much of a democracy. It's a bipartisan issue—when an official is in a 'safe' (gerrymandered) seat, they don't have to work to earn your vote. Even if it's your party's candidate who's 'safe,' they have little incentive to listen to your concerns and truly represent you, the voter. Fair elections for all! “Volunteering has been so rewarding; I get to use my strengths to help make a difference. No matter what you're skilled at, there are organizations that need what you've got to offer. Find your niche and get out there for your favorite cause!” Drum Roll, please. The winner is: Option A!  Artist & redistricting reformer Katie Valeska Wright Together, we can end #gerrymandering. We are planning on changing our logo and we would appreciate hearing your feedback. Vote on the new Fair Districts = Fair Elections Coalition logo today. The logo with the most votes by Friday, March 17 at 5:00 PM will be declared the winner! Option A Option B
This week, Ohio Senator Frank LaRose (R-Copley) introduced a joint resolution, SJR 3, proposing to amend the Ohio Constitution to change the rules for drawing Congressional districts.
Senator LaRose has been a steadfast advocate for redistricting reform – in fact he introduced one of the proposals last session that languished in the General Assembly – and we greatly appreciate his continued pursuit for reform. During the legislative process, proposals tend to be rewritten and revised several times. So with that in mind, here are the specific elements the Fair Districts = Fair Elections Coalition believes are essential to include in any meaningful Congressional redistricting reform proposal:
While the Fair Districts = Fair Elections Coalition continues to support efforts to pass reform in the legislature, we will carefully scrutinize any proposal to ensure it includes these essential protections. However, that said, last session the legislature failed to move on any of the redistricting reform proposals, including LaRose’s. Until the legislature passes a proposal to put meaningful reform before voters, the Fair Districts = Fair Elections Coalition will continue moving forward with a citizen initiative. For those who have been asking, yes, there will be petitions coming, but we cannot give you an exact date to expect them. The campaign is moving forward – we have polling underway, we are aggressively fundraising because citizen initiatives are expensive, and we are recruiting and training field volunteers. The best things people can do to help are to sign up for one of the many volunteer opportunities, donate, and spread the word urging others to sign on ---- info on all three can be found at www.fairdistrictsohio.org. |
