Equal Districts Coalition Urges Support for Fair Statehouse Maps Drawn by Bipartisan Mapmakers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 28, 2022
Contact:
Maki Somosot, maki@ohorganizing.org
Rachel Coyle, coyle@innovationohio.org
COLUMBUS — Today, the Equal Districts Coalition — a group of over 30 Ohio advocacy organizations and labor unions engaged in the redistricting process — called on Ohio’s Redistricting Commission to approve the district maps drawn by two independent mapmakers — one Republican and one Democratic — by tonight’s deadline.
“These maps are more fair, more representative, and more reflective of Ohio voters. They are not perfect, but they are a good compromise that captures the spirit of bipartisanship and above all prioritizes the preferences of Ohio’s communities,” said Deidra Reese, Statewide Program Director, Ohio Coalition on Black Civic Participation / Ohio Unity Coalition.
Today, March 28th, at 11:59pm, is the deadline for the commission to draw state legislative maps. This will be the fourth round of maps. The first three iterations were rejected as unconstitutional by a bipartisan majority of Ohio Supreme Court justices.
“The Republican Commissioners have had everything they need to draw fair maps for months: clear guidelines, a selection of perfectly reasonable maps to choose from, and Democratic colleagues ready and willing to negotiate,” said Katy Shanahan, Ohio State Director for All On The Line. “There is no excuse for the partisan stall tactics we’re seeing. The Republicans must work with their Democratic colleagues to land the plane and pass fair maps today, as ordered by the Ohio Supreme Court and required by our constitution.”
This past weekend, each independent mapmaker drew their own version of legal Statehouse districts, using the Ohio constitution and rulings by the Ohio Supreme Court as their guides. Their maps were then combined to create a “unity plan.” The Equal Districts Coalition urges Ohio’s Redistricting Commission to vote to enact these maps today.
“Ohio’s Republican Redistricting Commissioners are now the only thing standing between Ohioans and fair maps. The Commissioners have maps in front of them that were drawn by a Democratic mapmaker and a Republican mapmaker working together. It’s time to end this constitutional crisis and vote for the unity plan,” said Desiree Tims, President and CEO of Innovation Ohio.
The Equal Districts Coalition also called on the Redistricting Commission to pass maps that do not take incumbency into consideration. Districts should be drawn to cater to the people, not to politicians. Republican Senate President Matt Huffman and others have requested that the districts be drawn to protect sitting legislators, which the Ohio Supreme Court in its last order clearly rejected: “Senate President Huffman's concern for protecting incumbents is not grounded in Article XI.”
As the coalition has stated previously, undoing an unconstitutional gerrymander will clearly cause some lawmakers — who won their seats using illegal maps — to lose their seats. The Ohio Supreme Court was direct and explicit in their ruling on this matter.
TAKE ACTION: Email Ohio’s Redistricting Commission to urge support for the bipartisan unity maps.
####
The Equal Districts Coalition is the largest redistricting coalition in Ohio, with over 30 member organizations. It includes the Ohio State Conference of the NAACP, Ohio Organizing Collaborative, OAPSE/AFSCME, Ohio Farmers Union, AFSCME Ohio Council 8, the Ohio Environmental Council, OFUPAC, Innovation Ohio, the Ohio Student Association, ProgressOhio, All On the Line-Ohio, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio, Ohio Council of Churches, NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio, URGE – Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity, LEAD Ohio, the Ohio Women’s Alliance, the Ohio Federation of Teachers, Ohio Education Association, CAIR-Ohio, Campus Vote Project, For Our Future Ohio, Ohio Unity Coalition, Equality Ohio, The Freedom Bloc, and more.
