Toledo Reporter

State Senator Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo) today responded to the Ohio Supreme Court’s decision and subsequent changes made by the Ohio Ballot Board regarding Issue 1, also known as the “Citizens Not Politicians” redistricting constitutional amendment.

“Words matter and the ballot language is obviously written to deceive Ohio’s voters and to misconstrue a plainly anti-gerrymandering ballot initiative as something sinister and anti-democratic,” said Hicks-Hudson. “The entire thing should be re-written, not just adjusted around the margins as the Court’s partisan majority believes.”

“The Constitution explicitly bars this kind of willfully misleading language from appearing in front of voters. I remain confident that the people of Ohio will not fall for these desperate attacks on a good government reform to end the partisan gerrymandering that was so recently practiced and approved – by the very people involved in the board’s unconstitutional ballot language and this Court decision.”

Hicks-Hudson highlighted that recent redistricting cycles have disenfranchised at least 38,000 voters in Lucas County. These voters have been unable to vote for their state senate candidate due to political manipulation of district lines. During today’s Ballot Board meeting, state Senator Theresa Gavarone (R-Bowling Green) acknowledged that Republican-drawn maps did not consider necessary factors for drawing fair maps.