AOTL: Republicans Are Attempting to Force Ohioans to Vote in Gerrymandered Districts

For Immediate Release:
March 16, 2022
Contact:
Brooke Lillard
lillard@redistrictingaction.org

Columbus, OH - Today, in response to Ohio Republicans’ refusal to postpone the primary election to provide sufficient time for preparation from all parties involved, All On The Line’s Ohio State Director, Katy Shanahan, issued the following statement:

“Since day one, Republicans have controlled the redistricting process. They have refused to work with their Democratic colleagues to draw fair, bipartisan maps and they have used stall tactic after stall tactic to unnecessarily delay this process. They brazenly ignored the reforms and deadlines spelled out in the Ohio Constitution. And now they’re ignoring the expertise of our bipartisan county election officials and the fact that all maps are still under review before the state supreme court.

“Secretary LaRose himself has stated that hosting a successful primary election on May 3 will be difficult, if not impossible – going so far as to encourage the legislature to postpone it just a few weeks ago. But now he is singing a different tune, seeking to shift blame anywhere else he can for a decision to postpone, including casting blame on the state supreme court if they determine that shifting the timeline is necessary to protect voters’ rights in the face of yet another set of gerrymandered maps. Make no mistake, Republicans are using the May 3 primary election date to force Ohioans to vote in gerrymandered districts.

“This refusal to move the primary election date and to draw constitutional maps is not politics as usual; it is wrong and anti-democratic. While Republicans are playing chicken with our primary, Ohio voters and our democracy are paying the price.”

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