Equal Districts Coalition Blasts Heavily Gerrymandered Republican Maps

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 3, 2021

Contact:
Rachel Coyle, 419-351-5844, coyle@innovationohio.org

COLUMBUS — Today, the Equal Districts Coalition — a unified group of 30+ Ohio advocacy organizations and labor unions engaged in the 2021 redistricting process — released the following statement condemning the heavily gerrymandered maps proposed by Republican legislators:

"Based on Ohio's average vote share for the past ten years, a fair congressional map will consist of seven Democratic seats and eight Republican seats. Initial analyses say this Republican-drawn map might allow Democrats only two seats. This proposal is worse than the current gerrymandered map Ohioans soundly rejected at the polls.

"Republicans repeatedly missed Constitutional deadlines, ignored calls to release their maps weeks ago, then waited until after this week's public testimony submission deadline to publicize their draft district map. The Republican proposal delivered today, and delivered late, cheats Ohioans out of true representation. This is blatant voter suppression."

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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, AFSCME Ohio Council 8, the Ohio Environmental Council, 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.