STEUBENVILLE — A panel of supporters gave a spirited push for Ohioans to vote “yes” on Issue 1 in the Nov. 5 election, during a rally at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 246 Thursday.

Constituents of the five-person panel, composed mostly of local labor leaders, outlined reasons they believe the passage of Issue 1 would create a fair Congressional redistricting process and secure fair elections in Ohio.

Originating as the citizen-led Citizens Not Politicians initiative, Issue 1 is a proposed Ohio Constitution amendment that seeks to solve gerrymandering — or the purposeful redrawing of electoral districts by politicians to favor one political party over another — by putting the map-making process in the hands of appointed citizens, rather than political officials.

If passed, Issue 1 would replace the current, lawmaker-composed Ohio Redistricting Commission with a new, taxpayer-funded Ohio Citizens Redistricting Commission. Screened and selected by a bipartisan body of retired judges, the new OCRC would be comprised of five Republicans, five Democrats and five independents, who will draw maps in a public setting. The current ORC is always comprised of two Republicans, two Democrats, the governor, the state auditor and the secretary of state.

Issue 1 has been mired in confusion since Sept. 16, when the Ohio Supreme Court upheld ballot language, proposed by the Ohio Ballot Board, that describes the OCRC as being “required to gerrymander the boundaries of state legislative and congressional districts to favor the two largest political parties.”

Alongside the court’s 4-3 decision, opponents of Issue 1 have adopted the phrase “stop gerrymandering” for their political signs. With Issue 1 supporters’ signs reading “ban gerrymandering,” some may be led to wonder which side is truly against the practice.

As if to demonstrate the confusion, IBEW 246 business manager Kevan Brown briefly stumbled over his wording during Thursday’s rally, before ultimately declaring, “A ‘yes’ vote on Issue 1 bans gerrymandering and gives us fair districts, fair maps and fair elections.”

Brown introduced Frank Matthews, administrative director for Communication Workers of America District 4, which includes more than 100 locals across Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin. Matthews said members of the CWA — which represents telecommunications, airline, information technology and other workers — support Issue 1.

“In Columbus, we currently have too many extreme, out-of-touch lawmakers who pose a threat to working families and labor,” Matthews said. “They have zero fear of ever being ousted at the ballot box. They can wrong their members but, because of gerrymandered districts, they will never get voted out. Issue 1 gives citizens, not politicians, the power to draw fair maps for fair elections so we have fair representation that reflects the will of the people.”

Matthews said the impact of gerrymandering can be seen in the typical closeness of statewide issues like ballot initiatives, while elections for seats in the state House of Representatives and Senate “appear to be going one way” toward a Republican supermajority.

Rally attendees next heard from Jen Miller, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio, a non-partisan nonprofit aimed at protecting Americans’ right to vote and promoting social justice. The LWV does not take stances on parties of candidates, Miller said, but it’s been fighting against gerrymandering for more than half a century.

Miller said gerrymandering is “at the heart” of polarization in American politics, adding, “The reason why our state House is so extreme is because the people who are winning those seats are playing to primary voters, party extremes, their big-pocketed donors. They don’t have to listen to us, and once they get into office, it doesn’t matter. They’re going to win over and over again.”

Ohio is “one of the most gerrymandered states in the country,” Miller said, which is why Issue 1 must be passed. Issue 1 would bar former politicians, political party officials, lobbyists, large political donors and their families from being a commissioner, she said, and it would make it illegal to manipulate districts to favor a party or candidate.

Opponents of Issue 1 argue that Issue 1’s appointed OCRC members would not be held accountable as easily as democratically elected lawmakers, considering only the commission can remove one of its commissioners. Issue 1 also would prevent Ohio citizens from challenging a redistricting plan in “any court” except for the Ohio Supreme Court, and even then, they may only challenge the proportionality standards applied by the commission.

Additionally, as is reflected in the Ohio Supreme Court’s decision, opponents believe Issue 1 would require maps to show preference to certain parties, or “gerrymander,” based on statewide general election results from the last six years.

In fact, Issue 1 would require that districts “closely correspond” with statewide partisan preferences, with a deviation of no more than 3 percent. For example, if a party received 50 percent of votes during the last six years’ general elections, then the OCRC would be required to draw new districts that favor that party between 47 and 53 percent of the time.

Gerrymandering is practiced by Republicans and Democrats in power, Miller said, but Issue 1 has bi-partisan and non-partisan support. One of those supporters, Miller added later, is former Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, a Republican who helped write the amendment.

Additionally, Miller said, Issue 1’s commission would give independents a say in the districting process, something they’ve never before had, despite most Ohioans identifying as independents.

Miller said the Ohio Supreme Court, through its ballot language decision, “violated its requirement to provide a summary that doesn’t confuse voters.” She added redistricting reforms passed in 2015 and 2018 that she claimed were ultimately “ignored” by politicians led the court to strike down five sets of proposed maps — two of them resubmissions — found to be sub-standard, though one set would be used in 2022 elections.

John Saunders, international staff representative for the United Steelworkers, encouraged a “hell yes” vote for Issue 1, saying that the amendment is needed to protect Ohioans’ right to vote.

Saunders urged voters to fall in step with organized labor — which he said supports Issue 1 — and noted labor unions’ previous opposition for Senate Bill 5, which would have limited public employees’ collective bargaining rights, and the 2023 proposed amendment that would have eliminated the simple majority requirement for passing an amendment to the Ohio Constitution.

Also speaking was Rick Altman, at-large international vice president of the United Mine Workers of America, who said that passing Issue 1 is imperative for protecting future generations, regardless of sex or race.

“When you go to the polls, it is ‘hell yes,’” Altman said. “Let’s show them what we’re made of. Let’s show the people that working men and women value the future.”

Read the original piece here.