New Gerrymandering Video Highlights Ohio, Equal Districts Partners
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 14, 2021
Contact:
Rachel Coyle, 419-351-5844, coyle@innovationohio.org
COLUMBUS — The national organization More Perfect Union has released a video highlighting Ohio's rigged congressional districts and the ways Republican mapmakers have ignored Ohio's Constitution throughout the current process. Several Equal Districts Coalition partners are prominently featured in the video.
The video begins with Mindy Nagel standing outside her home in Cincinnati, which is split in half by two congressional districts under current maps.
"My house is divided into two districts," Nagel explains. "...the bedrooms on this side of the house are all in District 2, technically. And the kitchen, garage, living room, all that, are in District 1..."
The video then features Equal Districts Coalition partner Katy Shanahan, Ohio State Director for All On The Line. Shanahan explains how the Republican-dominated legislature and redistricting commission have repeatedly ignored Ohio's Constitution throughout the ongoing redistricting process.
"The [Statehouse] maps that the Republican commissioners [drew]...are heavily partisan gerrymandered to favor Republicans," Shanahan states. "So even though, across the last decade, Republicans have only won 54% of our vote, they will occupy 70% of our legislative seats under these new maps."
The video also features Equal Districts Coalition partner Callia Tellez, Environmental Policy Fellow with the Ohio Environmental Council. Tellez describes how rigged district lines impact environmental and health outcomes for communities of color.
"Low-income communities of color are most likely to be the frontline communities to pollution and the impacts of climate change. And these communities have the least political representation," Tellez explains.
As congressional redistricting stalls, the Equal Districts Coalition is continuing its work to engage all Ohioans in the process. Coalition members are lifting up real stories to show Ohioans how redistricting directly impacts their lives. They're also activating new, diverse communities that are traditionally left out of the map-drawing process. Increased public awareness and engagement will help push mapmakers to draw fair, representative, constitutional district 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, 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.