John — What’s happened in Ohio should anger each and every one of us.

Back in 2015, Ohio voters passed a constitutional amendment to create the Ohio Redistricting Commission to draw new maps. It’d take until 2021 for the Republican-led Commission to meet for the first time — but only two years for their proposed state legislative and congressional maps to be struck down a staggering seven times.

During the 2022 election, Ohio voters were forced to use unconstitutional maps that the Ohio Supreme Court had already overturned for unduly favoring the GOP. 

This year, Ohio voters had an opportunity to  create a citizen-led redistricting commission — and of course, Republicans did everything they could to sabotage the ballot initiative. 

The Ohio Ballot Board even resorted to trickery in the phrasing that’d appear on official ballots! Republican Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose wrote the draft language and pushed it through along party lines, claiming that Issue 1 would “establish a new taxpayer-funded commission of appointees required to gerrymander the boundaries of state legislative and congressional districts.”

What did the actual proposal say? Issue 1 would "ban partisan gerrymandering." (See why we’re angry, John?) Republicans knew they couldn’t win by telling the truth, so they resorted to bald-faced lies. 

Republican Governor Mike DeWine spread more confusion at a press conference — take a look at what Biz, the NDRC’s president, had to say about thoses shenanigans:

In the end, Republicans successfully defeated Issue 1. Despite their deceptive tactics, it was still a close race — and we’ve never let a loss be the final word. 

We’re gearing up for a congressional map redraw next year in Ohio, and we’ll be ready for the fight. Will you join us with a $30 donation today to get us off to a strong start?

Thank you,

Team NDRC

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Since 2017, the NDRC has executed a comprehensive redistricting strategy that shifts the redistricting power, creating fair districts where Democrats can compete. Our victories have been made possible by our strong community of grassroots supporters.

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