‘Yes’ on Issue 1 will end gerrymandering
Letter to the Editor,
This November, Ohioans will get a chance to end political gerrymandering in Ohio by voting ‘yes’ on Issue 1. Gerrymandering is when politicians manipulate voting district lines to protect their interests and guarantee re-election. Both parties have been guilty of this type of power grab. It also leads to extreme politics.
Ohio is ranked among the top 10 most gerrymandered states in the country. Ohio courts have ruled seven times that our districts are unconstitutional, but politicians have declined to fix them.
Issue 1 bans politicians and lobbyists from the map-making process. Instead, a balanced citizens group is given the task of drawing fair and impartial voting districts, following certain rules and using an open and transparent process. Thus, Issue 1 gives power back to the citizens, not politicians.
Now is the time to address this problem in Ohio. A large bipartisan group of Republicans, Democrats and independents want this. Don’t be put off by the wording on the ballot. It was written by politicians to confuse and mislead voters and misrepresent the amendment. I urge you to read the amendment’s actual wording. Even the opposition’s yard signs are false. Issue 1 will end political gerrymandering and remove the self-serving politicians from the process. Neither party would control the maps.
Vote ‘yes’ on Issue 1.
Joi Hemphill
Wooster