PARMA, Ohio — Ohioans should be concerned about a troubling trend of politicizing even the most basic functions of state government. The Ohio Supreme Court’s recent ruling on the ballot language for this fall’s anti-gerrymandering Issue 1 amendment highlights this critical issue: The court allowed Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose to adopt misleading descriptions of the initiative.
LaRose, who leads the GOP-controlled Ohio Ballot Board, changed the description of the proposed amendment to suggest that a new 15-member, citizen-led redistricting commission, designed to replace Ohio’s troubled political map-making system by barring the politicians who draw their own districts, would “require gerrymandering.” In reality, the proposal is designed to do exactly the opposite. LaRose’s characterization of the amendment, among other changes the Ballot Board adopted over the objections of the amendment’s supporters, appears to be calculated to undermine public support for a reform aimed at correcting Ohio’s flawed and politically contentious redistricting process.
