Language adheres to legal requirements that the Ballot Board must adopt  ‘true and impartial statement’

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Citizens Not Politicians campaign today sent proposed ballot language to the Ohio Ballot Board for the Nov. 5 election, aiming to provide Ohio voters with a clear and accurate description of the proposed constitutional amendment to reform Ohio’s redistricting process.

The Ohio Ballot Board will meet this Friday, Aug. 16, to finalize the ballot language.

The language proposed by the nonpartisan organization is designed to meet the standards required by Ohio law, including providing a “true and impartial statement” of the measure as outlined in Ohio Revised Code § 3519.21. 

“The proposed language has been crafted to clearly and accurately reflect the substance of the proposed amendment, ensuring voters are not misled or confused,” said retired Republican Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, who helped draft the amendment and the proposed ballot language.

O’Connor, who served on the high court deciding hundreds of cases of constitutional law for two decades, said the proposed language adheres to the standards set by Article II, Section 1g, and Article XVI, Section 1 of the Ohio Constitution, which require the ballot language to properly identify the substance of the proposal without misleading or deceiving voters.

“This should help the Ballot Board to fulfill their legal duty to provide Ohio voters with a true and impartial statement of this important amendment,” O’Connor said. “We urge the Ohio Ballot Board to adopt this language, and we encourage Ohioans to pay close attention on Friday when the Ballot Board meets.”

The Ballot Board proceedings are scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. on Friday and can be viewed live on the Ohio Channel at: https://ohiochannel.org/. 

The members of the Ballot Board as listed on the Secretary of State’s website are: Frank LaRose, chairperson, Ohio Secretary of State; Theresa Gavarone, Ohio Senate (term ends Feb. 1, 2025); Paula Hicks-Hudson, Ohio Senate (term ends Feb. 1, 2025); William N. Morgan (term ends Feb. 1, 2025); Terrence Upchurch, Ohio House (term ends Feb. 1, 2025). 

According to media reports, LaRose has opted to send his newly appointed deputy assistant secretary of state, Larry Obhof, to serve in the role as board chairman at the meeting.  Obhof is a Republican from Medina and a former Ohio Senate President.

Proposed Language from Citizens Not Politicians:

Proposed Constitutional Amendment

Proposed by Initiative Petition

To repeal Articles XI and XIX of the Ohio Constitution and enact Article XX of the Constitution of the State of Ohio.

A majority yes vote is necessary for the amendment to pass.

The proposed amendment would:

• Establish the Ohio Citizens Redistricting Commission, composed of 15 Ohio citizens, to draw and adopt Ohio General Assembly and Ohio Congressional districts.
• Require that the Commission consist of 15 members who have demonstrated the absence of any disqualifying conflicts of interest and who have shown an ability to conduct the redistricting process with impartiality, integrity, and fairness.
• Set forth that the Commission shall operate in a transparent manner by requiring public hearings that invite broad public participation throughout the state, public displays of redistricting plans, and a public report explaining any plan the Commission adopts.
• Provide that each redistricting plan shall contain single-member districts that are geographically contiguous, comply with federal law, closely correspond to the statewide partisan preferences of Ohio voters, and preserve communities.
• Require that all deliberations and actions of the Commission shall be in public meetings and all actions by the Commission require an affirmative vote of at least 9 of 15 members.

If passed, the amendment will become effective 30 days after the election.

SHALL THE AMENDMENT BE  APPROVED? YES or NO.

LaRose certified the amendment for the Nov. 5 ballot on July 23, determining that the group had gathered a total of 535,005 valid signatures, with support coming from every county in Ohio from Republican, Democrat, and Independent voters . The amendment needed 413,487 valid signatures of registered voters and signatures from at least 5% of voters in 44 counties, and the campaign exceeded this requirement by achieving the threshold in a record 58 counties.

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.

In June, the group announced the support of nearly 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, visit www.citizensnotpoliticians.org.

About Citizens Not Politicians
Citizens Not Politicians is a grassroots, nonpartisan coalition of Republican, Democrat 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.