FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 6, 2024
Contact: Sam D’Arcangelo, RepresentUs, sdarcangelo@represent.us
Statement: Ohio’s Issue 1 Unable to Overcome Political Establishment’s Dirty Tricks
COLUMBUS, OH - Ohio voters narrowly rejected Issue 1 following one of the most cynical political maneuvers in any ballot measure campaign in recent memory.
Despite the fact that Issue 1 would have established an independent redistricting commission to end the practice of politicians gerrymandering the state’s electoral maps, state officials approved ballot language that falsely described Issue 1 as doing the opposite.
RepresentUs CEO Joshua Graham Lynn issued the following statement in response:
Issue 1 wasn’t able to overcome the dirty tricks pulled by Ohio’s political establishment, but we aren’t surprised they sank that low. Voters hate gerrymandering, and entrenched politicians know it. That’s why they misled voters, telling them Issue 1 would “require” partisan gerrymandering when it actually would have put a stop to it.
Partisan politicians won’t give up the power to draw their own districts without a fight. They lied their way to victory in Ohio, but those tactics can only work for so long. The movement to build a democracy that works for all Americans continues to grow. We can and will win.
RepresentUs is America’s leading nonpartisan organization fighting to protect and strengthen democracy. We unite unlikely allies from across the political spectrum who put country over party to pass pro-democracy laws, fight corruption, and defeat authoritarian threats. We have won 185 victories in cities and states across America since our founding more than 12 years ago. Each win brings us one step closer to our vision of making America the world’s strongest democracy.