Justice Delayed is Justice Denied: Equal Districts Coalition Reinforces Fight for Fair Maps in 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 25, 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 — held a press conference outside the Ohio Statehouse to make clear that Ohio voters demanded fair maps in 2022 — and the fight for equal districts will not stop until voters win.
Video from this event can be found here.
“Our message and our demand has been clear: justice delayed is justice denied. We don’t want to wait any longer for a democratic and transparent process that works for all Ohioans,” said Desiree Tims, President and CEO, Innovation Ohio. “We are standing strong together and saying that we want fair maps in 2022 – not in 2024, 2026, or 2028. Right now.”
The Equal Districts Coalition was joined by representatives from Common Cause Ohio, the Fair Districts Coalition, Ohio Progressive Advocacy Leaders (OPAL), and others to demonstrate solidarity between coalitions in the fight for fair maps in 2022.
“It’s important to make clear that the Equal Districts Coalition is made up of more than 30 organizations that represent a broad spectrum of issues, constituencies, and communities,” said Katy Shanahan, Ohio State Director, All On The Line. “This is not one side versus the other. These are Ohioans coming together from Lake Erie to the Ohio River to follow through on what we said very clearly in 2015 and 2018: We’re not going away. Our fight is not yet done, and we will not stop fighting until we win back our democracy.”
Event speakers also called for the entire primary election to be moved to a later date, for several reasons:
Two primaries would be extremely expensive for taxpayers. Secretary of State Frank LaRose estimated that splitting the primaries could cost $20 million taxpayer dollars.
Failing to move the entire primary would hurt many military voters, who would be forced to try and navigate the hassle of voting in two primary elections from overseas.
Two primaries would place an exceptionally large burden on Ohio’s local elections officials, who would have to coordinate, promote, and run both elections.
Two primaries would disenfranchise thousands of Ohio voters, due to the confusion caused by two primary dates.
“Many Ohio primaries have been pushed back and changed for political reasons. [Ohio Republicans] don’t want to do that because they don’t want to be fair. They don’t want to draw districts where everyone has an opportunity to vote and where their vote makes a difference," said Sam Gresham, Board Chair, Common Cause Ohio.
“The truth is: this is a fight that the people won in 2015 and 2018. The Redistricting Commission should have already given us fair districts and avoided this crisis. But it is not too late to get it right by drawing fair maps and having the legislature move the primary so election officials can accomplish ONE well-administered primary election,” said Deidra Reese, Ohio Coalition on Black Civic Participation / Ohio Unity Coalition.
The Equal Districts Coalition is confident that the law is on the side of millions of voters who overwhelmingly amended Ohio’s constitution to require fair maps beginning in 2022. Everyone from Ohio voters to the federal courts have invested time and energy into these processes — the Sixth Circuit has lent mediators to help the Ohio Redistricting Commission draw state legislative maps, and the Equal Districts Coalition and its partners are still here fighting today. The coalition calls on Ohio’s Republican-led legislature and Redistricting Commission to muster the political will to deliver constitutional maps immediately.
Here’s what Equal Districts partners and friends are saying about the fight for fair maps:
Prentiss Haney, Co-Executive Director, Ohio Organizing Collaborative:
“As Ohio’s largest community organizing organization, when we say we’re going to fight for fair maps, that means we’re fighting for Black and brown Ohioans. We’re fighting for students and young people. We’re fighting for childcare workers in the care economy trying to make sure our children get the education they need. We’re fighting for formerly incarcerated folks who are trying to come home and live a dignified life. And we’re fighting for all the people of faith who have been on the front lines from the very beginning and fighting for voting rights for too long now.”
Amina Barhumi, Acting Executive Director, Council of Islamic Relations (Ohio chapter):
“Discrimination happens when we try and vote in our communities. Unfortunately we experience this blatant discrimination all too often from our elected officials. This is why we’ve been working to fight for fair maps, and we will not waver. It is critical, as a community that often experiences discrimination – and is often ignored or vilified – that we have access to fair representation and our votes are not diluted through gerrymandering.”
Chris Tavenor, Staff Attorney, Ohio Environmental Council:
“Gerrymandered maps perpetuate environmental injustice. Low-income, Black and Indigenous people, and communities of color facing environmental hazards are cracked and packed into districts where the majority of residents don’t face these injustices. That’s why we’re in this fight. Everyone needs safe drinking water, clean air, and accessible public lands. Protecting those rights requires a fair, equal, and accountable government.”
Meryl Neiman, Co-Founder, Ohio Progressive Action Leaders:
“Every Ohioan – regardless of the color of their skin, where they call home, or which political party they align with – values their right to vote. We all deserve an equal opportunity to influence decisions that affect our rights, freedoms, and resources delivered to our communities. For too long now, our elections have been rigged by gerrymandering, leaving us with unaccountable elected officials.”
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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, 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.
