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Something lawless, heartbreaking, and cruel happened last night in Columbus. In open defiance of the Ohio Constitution and the Ohio Supreme Court, a majority of the GOP members of the Commission plotted to jettison the work of the bipartisan, independent mapmakers and—just hours before the deadline—switched in and officially adopted a set of maps based on General Assembly maps previously struck down by the Court.
Yes votes were Sen. Pres. Huffman, Speaker Cupp, Gov. DeWine, Secretary of State LaRose; Auditor Faber abstained; Sen. Sykes and Minority Leader Russo voted no.
Read this statement from Common Cause Ohio with further details.
Thanks to all of you who came down to the Statehouse, the hundreds who joined the watch parties all week, and everyone else who has been fighting to end gerrymandering in Ohio. Last night was a vicious blow—but we stood witness! (State troopers even ejected Julia Cattaneo and Trevor Martin from the hearing room. Sadly, they did nothing to stop the lawlessness on the other side of the room.)
What happens next? Clearly, this set of maps will again be challenged. But before the Ohio Supreme Court has time to weigh in, there will be a hearing tomorrow in the federal case relating to the general assembly maps—and there’s no predicting what might be the outcome. Additionally, we could see further legal action today or in the days to come relating to contempt charges, moving the primary, and the congressional map. The move by the majority members of the Commission was not a solution: it simply prolongs the confusion and harm for Ohio voters.
To everyone who has been a part of this fight—to those who collected signatures, fought to pass the ballot measures, attended rallies and meetings, wrote letters to the editor, wrote postcards, gave presentations, joined our watch parties and more—we say this: We have come too far together to turn back now! Ohio voters have seen that bipartisan, transparent mapmaking can work and will accept no substitute. We will continue to fight for fair districts, fair maps, and fair elections. The stakes for our democracy are too high to stop now.
We are planning an overview and discussion session so we can fully digest what happened last night. Watch for an invite and further information coming soon.
With profound gratitude for all you do,
Mia Lewis for the Fair Districts team at Common Cause Ohio
State legislative maps that were approved on March 28:
