'The Way Our Districts are Drawn is BS:' Ohio Redistricting Effort Moves Toward November Ballot
Fed up with politicians manipulating maps to ensure reelection, a crowd of Ohio voters took a key step toward offering a redistricting alternative on the November ballot.
That alternative would replace Ohio's current system for drawing congressional and legislative maps, which relies on elected officials, with a 15-member panel of Ohioans without close ties to politics. The campaign, called Citizens Not Politicians, delivered more than 731,000 signatures to the Ohio Secretary of State's office Monday morning to make the fall ballot.
To make the November ballot, the campaign must submit 413,487 valid signatures from at least 44 counties by Wednesday. The Ohio Secretary of State's office will review the list to ensure those who signed are registered to vote, their signatures are legible and various other technical requirements are met.
After dropping off signatures, former Ohio Supreme Court Justice Maureen O'Connor, along with a pastor, a retired bricklayer and a small business owner rallied Ohioans frustrated with the state of state politics. They contend that if members of Congress and state lawmakers had more competitive elections, they would be more responsive to residents.
Ted Linscott, the retired union bricklayer from Athens, said Appalachians tell it like it is: "When we see BS, we call BS and the way our districts are drawn is BS."