COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Less than one month before early voting and less than 50 days before the election, ballot language for Issue 1, Ohio’s only statewide ballot issue, is still not set in stone.
Issue 1, brought forward by a group called Citizens not Politicians, wants to create an independent redistricting commission of 15 Ohio citizens, rather than the current commission made up of seven politicians, as was adopted by voters in 2015.
Under this amendment, the process to put citizens on the commission starts with elected officials on the Ohio Ballot Board selecting retired judges who then select citizen commissioners.
If you vote “yes,” for Issue 1, you will be voting to give the power of the pen to citizens. If you decide to vote “no” on Issue 1, that means you like the status quo and the way the system works.
It started just about one month ago when the Ohio Ballot Board passed language for Issue 1 that backers of the amendment called biased and misleading, now the Ohio Supreme Court is ordering the ballot board back to work to revise some of the language.
The Republicans on the Ohio Ballot Board, who hold a majority on that board, largely oppose Issue 1 and upon the language that they wrote being adopted, it was almost immediately challenged in the Ohio Supreme Court.
“I wish they hadn't contested our ballot language, which is truthful and factual, lays out exactly what Issue 1 does,” Secretary of State Frank LaRose said.
“Ironically, what the career politicians on the ballot board have done here is offer another demonstration about why we need Issue 1,” Spokesperson for Citizens not Politicians Chris Davey said.
Eight provisions were contested by Citizens Not Politicians and six were upheld by the Republicans on the Ohio Supreme Court, including a line that says the proposed amendment would “repeal constitutional protections against gerrymandering.”
“They did retain some of the worst language,” Davey said.
“It's just unfortunate and I wish that we had a state that did things differently, that really gave people right information so that they can make the best decision for themselves, for themselves and their families,” Ohio House Assistant Minority Leader Dontavius Jarrells (D-Columbus) said.
LaRose, who sits on the ballot board, said in a statement that the decision is a “huge win for Ohio voters, who deserve an honest explanation of what they’re being asked to decide. The court’s opinion reinforces that this proposed amendment does in fact require the gerrymandering of Ohio’s legislative and congressional districts.”
“It was interesting to see Frank LaRose and other career politicians spiking the football and doing a touchdown dance when the Supreme Court of Ohio found that they had not exercised their duty properly and that they had passed biased and inaccurate language,” Davey said,
The ballot board will have to correct two provisions as ordered by the Ohio Supreme Court. The first is section five, which states the amendment prohibits citizens from filing a lawsuit challenging the redistricting plan. The court said the ballot board has to clarify when a lawsuit may be filed.
Also, section eight, which currently says the amendment limits the right of Ohioans to express their opinions to members of the commission. The court said the board must describe the ability of the public to provide input.
“We're dealing with the same ballot board that wrote this biased and inaccurate language, but we're hopeful that they'll follow the court's direction, and we'll end up with something better than what we have,” Davey said.
In a statement from the vote “no,” side, Auditor of State Keith Faber, who sits on the current redistricting commission, said "The Court was thoughtful in its approach, and they got it right. The ballot language is now clear: Issue One will force gerrymandering into the state constitution while destroying the anti-gerrymandering reforms Ohio voters approved by more than 70%. Issue One hurts Ohio."
The Ohio Ballot Board is meeting Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. to make what LaRose called “minor adjustments,” to the ballot summary language. The language they do pass on Wednesday will likely be the final version.
“What's going to end up before the voters in November is something that is not what it should be," Davey said. "But we're not concerned because Ohioans are smart. They know what this issue is about. They hate gerrymandering. They hate cheating, and they're sick of the politicians rigging the game."
