AOTL: Ohio’s Budget Rigs Redistricting to Favor the GOP
For Immediate Release:
June 29, 2021
Contact:
Molly Mitchell
mitchell@redistrictingaction.org
AOTL: Ohio’s Budget Rigs Redistricting to Favor the GOP
Huffman’s 11th Hour Amendment Survives - Fair Maps Suffer
Columbus, OH — A partisan amendment empowering only Republican leadership to intervene in future redistricting cases was included in Ohio’s latest biennial budget, which passed last night. The amendment was added at the 11th hour by Senate President Matt Huffman and would rig the redistricting process to suit himself and his partisan allies.
“Senator Huffman’s amendment is nothing more than a partisan power grab meant to tilt the scales of our redistricting process to favor the same Republican legislators who gerrymandered their way to supermajorities in seats they don’t actually win in votes,” said Katy Shanahan, All On The Line Ohio State Director.
“Ohioans sent a clear message twice when we overwhelmingly supported reform measures in the last six years: we want fair maps drawn through a fair, transparent process. This amendment - which was added after public hearings, denying Ohioans the ability to provide their input on the record - is an insult to those reforms and it’s a shame it’s been included in the final budget,” Shanahan continued.
“This budget is chock full of provisions - including this one - that don’t come close to reflecting what Ohioans actually support, want, or need. There are attacks on the LGBTQ+ community, our access to affordable, nondiscriminatory healthcare, and on fair election administration and get out the vote efforts. The budget is the latest illustration of why our state so desperately needs fair maps so we can elect leaders who actually represent Ohio and can deliver for our communities,” Shanahan said.
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