COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – In 42 days, Ohio voters will begin early voting at the polls, and Election Day is just 70 days away, meaning post-Labor Day campaigns are in full swing.
This fall, there is only one issue on the state ballot, namely Issue 1, Brought forward by Citizens Not Politicians, some Ohioans are taking to the streets to make sure every voter hears about it.
“Hi, we are volunteers with Citizens Not Politicians,” Michael Ahern, Issue 1 volunteer, said to a voter. “Your signature worked, we got enough signatures, the proposal will be on the ballot in November.”
Ahern said that despite the adoption of reforms in 2015 and 2018, it had been “frustrating” to watch the electoral redistricting commission.
“When politicians are involved in drawing up these constituency boundaries and then manipulate them for party purposes, it undermines democracy,” he said.
Currently, the Ohio Redistricting Commission is made up of seven elected officials. The composition changes depending on who is elected to certain offices, but currently there are five Republicans and two Democrats on it. The last cards they passed were unanimously.
The goal of the first proposal is to remove politicians from the redistricting process and instead establish a 15-member commission with five Democrats, five Republicans and five independent voters.
“This initiative prevents politicians, lobbyists and major party donors from serving on the commission. And that is a big difference to the current process,” said Ahern. “There is no perfect system. But this proposal provides many checks and balances.”
A spokesman for Ohio Works, the group that will lead the opposition campaign, said they are currently “laying the groundwork” for their campaign. But in a written argument against Issue 1, Ohio Works said the amendment was a “cynical attempt to deceive Ohio voters” and said it was “nothing more than a partisan power struggle by special interests from outside the state.”
High-ranking officials from Ohio have also spoken out against problem 1, including Governor Mike DeWine, Republican Senate President of Ohio Matt Huffman (Lima), and Attorney General Dave Yost (Ohio). Opponents of the law say, among other things, that Ohioans have no way to defend themselves if they are dissatisfied; Republican strategist Mike Gonidakis, who is not part of the official opposition, agrees.
“They want unelected people who are not accountable to anyone to draw up the maps they think are best. That is undemocratic,” Gonidakis said.
These campaigns are not just about reaching Ohioans personally – Citizens Not Politicians has already spent nearly $17 million on advertising. It’s unclear how much Ohio Works has raised or spent, but as of July, when its last campaign finance report was due, they had not raised or spent any money.
“If you can saturate all the Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages and the social media aspect of it, that’s a cheaper price,” Gonidakis said. “And secondly, more people are on social media.”
The Language for Issue 1 that will appear on the ballot could still change. It was approved by the Ohio Ballot Board on August 16, but Citizens Not Politicians almost immediately brought it before the Supreme Court of Ohio to challenge the decisions of the board along party lines.
The voter registration deadline is October 7. Early voting begins October 8, and Election Day is November 5.
