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According to a poll by Baldwin Wallace University, nearly 70% of Ohio voters oppose gerrymandering, the practice of creating electoral boundaries in order to benefit one political party.
In Ohio, that party has been Republicans. While recent Republican statewide candidates have won about 56% of the vote, the GOP currently controls 10 of Ohio’s 15 congressional seats and more than two-thirds of seats in both the Ohio House and the Ohio Senate — the largest supermajorities either major party has held since the state legislature moved to single-member districts in the 1960s.
Because Republicans dominate statewide offices, they dominate the redistricting process after every 10-year census.
Issue 1 on the November ballot would remove the responsibility of redistricting from elected officials and instead give it to an independent citizens commission made up equally of Democrats, Republicans and independents.
How exactly would it work? We’ll walk you through the steps.
— Laura
Northeast Ohio weather forecast: Cool weather returns
Issue 1: Issue 1 on the November ballot seeks to reform redistricting by taking power to draw maps away from politicians giving it instead to a citizens commission, as 20 other states have done. Robert Higgs explains how it would work.
Black Caucus: Members of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus defended state Issue 1 on Tuesday as a means to give all people in Ohio a greater voice in their government and pushed back on the argument it would hurt black representation in the statehouse, Robert Higgs reports.
Fracking: A state panel on Monday approved an industry application to open about 62 acres of a preserved wildlife area in Carroll County for oil and gas drilling, reports Jake Zuckerman. The decision from the Oil and Gas Land Management Commission triggers a competitive bidding process through which the state will select the “highest and best” bid for mineral rights to access oil or gas reserves under Leesville Wildlife Area in eastern Ohio.
Today in Ohio, the daily news podcast of cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer.
Today in Ohio: U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich wants to use the 1996 Modell law he authored against Jimmy and Dee Haslam, the owners of the Browns, who plan to move the team to Brook Park. We’re talking about the law that requires taxpayer-funded sports teams to give their cities six months notice before leaving town and give the city and its residents a chance to buy the team on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast.
Voter fraud: A grand jury indicted six permanent residents after the state said they voted in Ohio elections between 2008 and 2020, reports Jake Zuckerman. They have been charged with “illegal voting,” a fourth-degree felony that calls for sentences of between six and 18 months in prison, on par with offenses like aggravated assault and elder abuse.
Boeing lawsuit: Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost filed a lawsuit against Boeing’s board and former CEO, saying their failure to address ongoing safety issues is causing the company’s stock to tank and hurt Ohio pension funds. Laura Hancock reports the lawsuit was filed Monday in federal court in Virginia on behalf of the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System and the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio. The Oklahoma Firefighters Pension and Retirement System also is a plaintiff.
Miller divorce: Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bernie Moreno was served a subpoena Monday in the messy divorce between his daughter, Emily Moreno Miller, and GOP U.S. Rep. Max Miller. Sabrina Eaton and Sean McDonnell report the subpoena asks Bernie Moreno to appear at the office of Max Miller’s lawyer, Larry Zukerman, at 10 a.m. on Nov. 6 – the morning after the high-stakes election between Bernie Moreno and incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown of Cleveland.
Green Party: An Ohio Green Party leader testified in federal court Tuesday that she turned in a letter to withdraw Anita Rios, presidential hopeful Jill Stein’s running mate, from this year’s statewide ballot without Rios’ knowledge or permission, Jeremy Pelzer reports. The letter, which Ohio Green Party Co-Chair Philena Farley previously insisted that Rios knew about and supported, led Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s office to order that any votes for Stein and Rios in this year’s Nov. 5 general election should not be counted.
Dual enrollment: Ohio high school students who are dually enrolled in college courses are slightly more likely to go to college after graduation than peers in other states, reports Laura Hancock. While 81% of all high school students who take dual enrollment courses attend two- and four-year colleges after high school graduation, in Ohio that bumps up slightly to 83%.
Cuyahoga jail: As part of a settlement earlier this year over “deplorable” conditions in the jail, Cuyahoga County agreed to hire an industry expert to monitor changes and ensure it is holding up its end of the deal. Kaitlin Durbin reports the Board of Control approved up to $100,000 this week for Utah-based corrections consultant Donald Leach to start his site visits.
Doan Creek: The long-term and controversial restoration project that resulted in the draining of Horseshoe Lake is about to pass its latest milestone. Cory Shaffer reports the Northeast Ohio Sewer District’s Doan Brook Restoration Project is on track to be 60% complete with the planning and design phase early next month.
Invasive plants: Dale Ann Guidroz has tried all sorts of plants atop her septic tank. Why these have all failed when they are all considered to be invasive is subject to speculation and debate given their unique growth environment. So, in violation of her own convictions regarding the planting of known invasives, she surrendered to native mint.
Wrong way: The Ohio Department of Transportation unveiled Northeast Ohio’s first wrong-way detection corridor on Tuesday in the hopes of reducing crashes on a stretch of highway that is one of the most dangerous in the state. Olivia Mitchll reports the 22-mile-long wrong-way corridor runs on Interstate 90 and I-71, from West 154th Street to East 140th Street. The project cost $3.2 million.
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Fall foliage: Take advantage of the 70-degree weather this week in Northeast Ohio to go outside and experience the peak fall foliage on display right now. See the photos from John Kuntz, Josh Gunter and Dave Petkiewicz.
Loan program: Small-dollar homes defined as those priced at $150,000 or lower and can mean opportunity to make home ownership a reality for underserved communities. Megan Sims reports CHN Housing Partners, a Cleveland-based organization that aims to create a path for home ownership through the development of affordable housing, community resources, education and other programs, helps buyers of small-dollar homes – with mortgages as low as $25,000 – through its Believe Mortgage program.
Drug Take Back: This fall’s Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is an ideal time to safely get rid of unused prescription medications so that young children — or people seeking a high — don’t find them, reports Julie Washington.
Wienermobile: Hot dog! The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile is headed to Northeast Ohio, reports Marc Bona. “BBQ” Bridget Berens and her co-pilot will be rolling in beginning this week.
Couple sentenced: A Euclid couple accused of abusing a 4-year-old boy and causing his death in May 2022 were both sentenced to prison Tuesday, Sean McDonnell reports. Dyneshia Anderson, 32, and Devin Hall, 31, both of Euclid, were convicted of killing Musiah Wadud, Anderson’s 4-year-old nephew, and of abusing his younger brother.
Heights shooting: A 45-year-old woman was found dead in her Cleveland Heights home Monday, reports Olivia Mitchell. Cleveland Heights police found Lateisa Crocket about 6:30 p.m. in the bedroom of her home in the 800 block of Nelaview Road. Authorities say Crocket was shot in the face.
Street takeover: A Port Clinton woman was arrested on Tuesday and accused of organizing and promoting a street takeover in Cleveland, officials said. Ashlyn Rogers, 23, is charged in Cleveland Municipal Court with aggravated riot and possessing criminal tools, both fifth-degree felonies.
Hate crime: Orange Village police are investigating after someone spray-painted antisemitic graffiti on two garage doors. One of the messages included a “symbol of Jewish hate,” police said.
Ask Yadi: How many cupcakes should you make to celebrate your birthday in your office? Yadi Rodriguez writes that you should make enough for the average number of people in your office. Don’t stress about this one … how thoughtful of you to share, but grown-ups will know that when they are gone they are gone.
Electric State: Netflix has released the first look at Joe and Anthony Russo’s next film, “The Electric State,” reports Joey Morona. Millie Bobby Brown (“Stranger Things”) stars as Michelle, an orphaned teenager living in a post-robot rebellion world who enlists a smuggler named Keats (Chris Pratt) on a search for her previously thought-dead brother.
Don’t forget, you can always find the latest Cleveland news by visiting cleveland.com. If you value the hard work of Cleveland journalists, consider becoming a cleveland.com subscriber.
— Curated by content director Laura Johnston with contributions by by Cliff Pinckard.
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