Ballot text for Question 1 is set, but redistricting plan supporters say wording is unfair

Ohio’s Republican-dominated Board of Elections made minor changes to the text that voters will see in the first part of the ballot when they go to the polls in November, at the direction of the Ohio Supreme Court. But supporters of the amendment said the text did not accurately represent the process they want voters to approve.

The Election Commission adopted the text proposed by Secretary of State Frank LaRose, which corrected specific parts of the summary that the court had identified, over objections from Democrats.

Amendment 1 would create a 15-member committee of Republican, Democratic and independent citizens to draw legislators’ districts based on a proportional formula that closely matches the results of the last six statewide elections. Current and former elected officials and politicians are not eligible to serve on the committee. Although the amendment was authored by former Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, the state’s top Republican elected officials and the Ohio Republican Party oppose it, saying it would guarantee redistricting.

Republicans on the board adopted a three-page, 10-point summary written by Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose. The group Citizens Not Politicians objected to the title and the language that the new 15-member commission the amendment would create would be “required to redraw” congressional and legislative districts.

Citizens Not Politicians sued eight of the 10 items approved by the Ballot Board. The Ohio Supreme Court ordered two of them rewritten.

At the voting committee meeting, Democrats proposed several ways to change the summary’s language. All were rejected. LaRose said he wanted to keep the language the Ohio Supreme Court approved in its decision. And he said timing was an important factor to consider.

“We’re less than 50 days, actually 47 days away from a major presidential election,” LaRose said. “Once the board’s work is done today, it will trigger a lot of work by our county boards of elections to make sure that in the next 48 hours, they’re ready to start sending out overseas and military ballots.”

After the meeting, LaRose and council Republicans ignored reporters’ calls for comment and exited the hearing room through a side door.

But Democrats on the committee remained. Sen. Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo) blasted LaRose and the committee’s majority members for their decision to approve a ballot summary that did not accurately summarize the amendment.

“This was done for the primary purpose of deceiving voters,” Hicks-Hudson said. “Language like this has never been used. If you look at history and how other secretaries of state have handled this type of language, they felt they were taking no chances in trying not to deceive and not to destroy our democracy.”

Rep. Terrence Upchurch (D-Cleveland) disagreed with
the decision, but said he intends to work to ensure Ohioans understand the truth about the amendment.

“We’re going to work with the same effort and enthusiasm that these people put into getting those 700,000 signatures,” Upchurch said.

Citizens Not Politicians spokesman Chris Davey said that while Democrats opposed the blanket language for Question 1, the amendment itself had support from Republicans and Democrats across the state.

“I think history will judge Frank LaRose and the other lying, cheating politicians who are doing everything they can to cling to power by blocking Issue 1, and people are realizing that. It’s going to backfire on them,” Davey said.