Senate President, Speaker of the House endorse Issue 1

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The leaders of the Ohio House and Senate announced Monday their formal endorsement of Issue 1, the legislative redistricting amendment to the Ohio Constitution that will be on the ballot this November.

Senate President Keith Faber (R-Celina) and Speaker of the House Cliff Rosenberger (R-Clarksville) played significant roles in the passage of the redistricting reform plan, working with their Democrat and Republican colleagues in both chambers to ensure near unanimous support for the measure.

“Members of both parties worked tirelessly on this effort,” said President Faber. “And we came up with a process designed to get people working together to do what’s best for all Ohioans. We had bipartisan support in the legislature, and I urge my fellow Ohioans to support the plan as well.”

“This plan will provide transparency and fairness to the process, which is something voters want,” said Speaker Rosenberger. “It’s the result of years of hard work by members of both parties in the legislature. I look forward to the voters of Ohio passing Issue 1 this November.”

Passage of Issue 1 would be the first major overhaul of Ohio’s legislative redistricting process in more than 40 years. It would create a bipartisan organization called the Ohio Redistricting Commission that would be responsible for drawing new legislative lines through a fair and transparent process.

Fair Districts for Ohio is leading the coalition in support of Issue 1. The group is co-chaired by former State Reps. Matt Huffman (R-Lima) and Vernon Sykes (D-Akron).

Issue 1, when passed, would make several significant changes to the legislative redistricting process, including:

· New seven-member panel must include two members from minority party.

· All commission meetings open to the public.

· Keep local communities as together as possible.

· Proposed maps must be presented to public for review and input.

· At least two votes from minority party are needed to approve a plan.

· Ohio Supreme Court can order a redraw of the map if it is deemed to favor one political party.

Staff report

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