Ohio’s Redistricting Hearing Schedule Fails Ohioans

For Immediate Release:
September 8, 2021
Contact:
Fabiola Rodriguez
rodriguez@redistrictingaction.org

One week after the constitutional deadline to have proposed state legislative maps, the Ohio Redistricting Commission finally announced just two new hearings, again failing to give all Ohioans a chance to participate in the redistricting process. The announcement came just 24 hours before the first hearing, and without any indication of whether official maps will be released at either of the hearings. There is also no information about when the public will get a chance to provide input on those proposed maps at constitutionally-required hearings. This murky process fails to meet constitutional requirements set by the 2015 reform measure passed overwhelmingly by Ohio voters. 

“Rather than spending the last seven months adequately preparing for this process, the Republican-led Commission has instead dragged their feet. And now, Ohioans -- whose voices are largely being shut out of this rushed process -- will pay the price,” said Katy Shanahan, Ohio State Director for All On The Line.

“The commission is now a week late on the first constitutional deadline and just a week away from our final map deadline and it is still not clear when we’ll see proposed maps. This is not the transparent, people-powered process Ohioans demanded in our reform measures nor what the Constitution requires,” Shanahan continued. “Still, All On The Line will work diligently to continue organizing to help Ohioans show up and to show out for the fair maps that we deserve -- just as hundreds of them did last month at the mapless hearings across the state.”

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