Yes on Issue 1 coalition begins aggressive statewide broadcast advertising campaign that will reach millions of Ohioans 

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Yes on Issue 1 – the grassroots nonpartisan uprising against shady, cheating politicians – launched a $20 million broadcast blitz today with a campaign advertisement speaking directly to the Buckeye State’s diverse citizenry, underscoring that conservative, progressive and independent Ohioans all agree on one thing: Yes on 1 will end gerrymandering by firing the politicians.
 The ad opens depicting Ohioans who identify as a “staunch conservative,” a “proud progressive,” and “just an Independent.”

“But there’s one thing we agree on. We don’t like politicians and lobbyists rigging the system for themselves. Ohio’s voting districts were so badly rigged, they’ve been deemed unconstitutional seven times. Seven times! Issue 1 would stop politicians from drawing rigged districts by creating an open process to draw fair ones. It’s why we all agree. Yes on Issue 1.”

The ad is available here. It will run in the Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus and Dayton media markets as the Citizens Not Politicians campaign continues to expand through Election Day. Statewide advertising began last week with a separate ad featuring Ohio’s crooked politicians and the Team Up North. 
Yes on 1 anti-gerrymandering champion Maureen O’Connor said that every week from now until Nov. 5, the campaign will continue to ramp up its paid media program on both broadcast television and on myriad digital platforms. 

“But we’re not just on the air and online, we’re meeting Ohioans in person, knocking on doors in all 88 counties. We’re campaigning to win, and the politicians are scurrying for cover,” said the retired Chief Justice who was a part of the bipartisan Ohio Supreme Court majority that issued the seven rulings rebuking the politicians’ Redistricting Commission for drawing unconstitutional gerrymandered maps. 
“From the hills of Appalachia – to the farmlands and the Firelands – to our urban centers and the Three Cs, this is a big diverse state, and we often disagree, but Buckeyes are united in their disdain for lying, cheating politicians, and so Buckeyes everywhere are voting Yes on 1,” O’Connor said. 

The full script with citations for the ad can be found at https://www.citizensnotpoliticians.org/we-agree/.

The new broadcast ad comes just days after the launch of a digital ad that explains how gerrymandering is cheating, and Ohio’s gerrymandering politicians are as bad as Michigan’s disgraced former head coach, the notorious cheater Jim Harbaugh.  

When passed, the Citizens Not Politicians Amendment will establish an independent redistricting commission, free from current or former politicians and lobbyists. The initiative will create a fair, transparent, and impartial redistricting process that genuinely reflects the will of Ohio’s citizens.
More than 100 organizations, businesses, and thought leaders across Ohio for the constitutional amendment. The diverse coalition supporting the historic initiative includes Republicans, Independents and Democrats and is made up of business groups, nonpartisan policy groups, labor unions, civil rights organizations, and faith-based organizations representing hundreds of thousands of Ohioans across the political spectrum.

A bipartisan group of more than 85 business leaders has also released an open letter endorsing the amendment.    

Gerrymandering, the practice of drawing political boundaries to favor a particular party or group, undermines fair representation and effective policy. Ohio is recognized as one of the worst states for gerrymandering, affecting the lives of millions of Ohioans.

The Citizens Not Politicians Amendment will:

• Create the 15-member Ohio Citizens Redistricting Commission composed of Republican, Democratic, and independent citizens representing the state’s diverse geography and demographics.
• Ban current or former politicians, political party officials, and lobbyists from serving on the commission.
• Require the creation of fair and impartial districts, prohibiting any drawing of voting districts that discriminate against or favor any political party or individual politician.
• Operate under an open and independent process.

For more information about the lawsuit and the Citizens Not Politicians Amendment, visit www.citizensnotpoliticians.org.

About Citizens Not Politicians
Citizens Not Politicians is a grassroots, nonpartisan coalition of Republican, Democratic and Independent Ohio voters and includes nearly 100 organizations, businesses, and thought leaders across Ohio supporting a constitutional amendment that will end gerrymandering in the state.