Current:Home > NewsProposal to create a new political mapmaking system in Ohio qualifies for November ballot -EliteFunds
Proposal to create a new political mapmaking system in Ohio qualifies for November ballot
View
Date:2025-04-17 15:17:01
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A proposal to change Ohio’s troubled political mapmaking system has qualified for November’s statewide ballot, the state’s elections chief announced Tuesday.
Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose said the bipartisan Citizens Not Politicians had submitted 535,005 valid signatures in 58 counties, well over the roughly 414,000 needed to appear on ballots this fall. The campaign submitted more than 700,000 petition signatures on July 1.
The constitutional amendment’s next stop is the Ohio Ballot Board, which must sign off on the ballot language and title.
The amendment aims to replace the current Ohio Redistricting Commission, made up of three statewide officeholders and four state lawmakers, with an independent body selected directly by citizens. The new panel’s members would be diversified by party affiliation and geography.
The effort follows the existing structure’s repeated failure to produce constitutional maps. During the protracted process for redrawing district boundaries to account for results of the 2020 Census, challenges filed in court resulted in two congressional maps and five sets of Statehouse maps being rejected as unconstitutionally gerrymandered.
Retired Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, who presided over the high court during the legal battle, called the certification “a historic step towards restoring fairness in Ohio’s electoral process.”
“With this amendment on the ballot, Ohioans have the chance to reclaim their power from the self-serving politicians who want to stay in power long past their expiration date while ignoring the needs of the voters,” the Republican said in a statement.
A month after the ballot campaign was announced, the bipartisan Ohio Redistricting Commission voted unanimously to approve new Statehouse maps, with minority Democrats conceding to “better, fairer” maps that nonetheless continued to deliver the state’s ruling Republicans a robust political advantage.
That same September, congressional district maps favoring Republicans were put in place, too, after the Ohio Supreme Court dismissed a group of legal challenges at the request of the voting-rights groups that had brought them. The groups told the court that continuing to pursue the lawsuits against the GOP-drawn maps brought turmoil not in the best interests of Ohio voters.
veryGood! (87564)
Related
- Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
- Kendrick Lamar halftime show another example of Jay-Z influence on NFL owners
- Black borrowers' mortgage applications denied twice as often as whites', report shows
- Egg recall is linked to a salmonella outbreak, CDC says: See which states are impacted
- Selena Gomez engaged to Benny Blanco after 1 year together: 'Forever begins now'
- New York site chosen for factory to build high-speed trains for Las Vegas-California line
- 'Devastated': Communities mourn death of Air Force cadet, 19; investigation launched
- As a Curvy Girl, I’ve Tried Hundreds of Leggings and These Are the Absolute Best for Thick Thighs
- Pregnant Kylie Kelce Shares Hilarious Question Her Daughter Asked Jason Kelce Amid Rising Fame
- Ryan Blaney surges in NASCAR playoff standings, Kyle Larson takes a tumble after Atlanta
Ranking
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- Texas parents gain new tools to control their teen’s social media use
- Texas is real No. 1? Notre Dame out of playoff? Five college football Week 2 overreactions
- Kathy Bates Announces Plans to Retire After Acting for More Than 50 Years
- Moving abroad can be expensive: These 5 countries will 'pay' you to move there
- Four die in a small plane crash in Vermont
- Jailed Harvey Weinstein taken to NYC hospital for emergency heart surgery, his representatives say
- Ex-employees of Titanic submersible’s owner to testify before Coast Guard panel
Recommendation
Why members of two of EPA's influential science advisory committees were let go
Trump signals support for reclassifying pot as a less dangerous drug, in line with Harris’ position
A former NYC school food chief is sentenced to 2 years in a tainted chicken bribery case
Puka Nacua leaves Los Angeles Rams' loss to Detroit Lions with knee injury
'Survivor' 47 finale, part one recap: 2 players were sent home. Who's left in the game?
How to cope after a beloved pet crosses the rainbow bridge | The Excerpt
Bridge collapses as more rain falls in Vietnam and storm deaths rise to 21
Norfolk Southern railroad says its CEO is under investigation for alleged ethical lapses