Supporters of Ohio’s first issue far outnumber opponents

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The campaign to stop gerrymandering in Ohio has raised six times more money than their opponents, with an award-winning filmmaker and Cleveland Browns owners donating for and against the November ballot measure.

“We have a real chance to change the way our legislature is elected in Ohio through the first edition of this year,” said Cuyahoga County voter Wendy Leatherberry.

For Leatherberry, voting yes on the first question is a no-brainer.

“This is an opportunity to end gerrymandering and therefore have a Legislature that is more reflective of our population,” she said.

Gerrymandering is the deliberate manipulation of borders in favor of one political party.

Ohio lawmakers are currently drawing maps that directly affect them and their colleagues.

We told you what Issue 1 will do.

What does a yes vote on Ohio Question 1 mean? What does it mean to refuse to vote?

CONNECTED: What does a yes vote on Ohio Question 1 mean? What does it mean to refuse to vote?

The Ohio Redistricting Commission (ORC) consists of seven seats. Two will always go to Republicans and two to House Democrats. The three remaining seats include governor, secretary of state and auditor.

That led to Ohio’s 2022 redistricting mess, with the bipartisan Ohio Supreme Court overturning seven different adopted maps, citing GOP commissioners drawing lines to unfairly benefit their party.

Vote “yes” on question 1 will create a 15-member Ohio Citizens’ Reapportionment Commission (OCRC) consisting of Republicans, Democrats and independents who broadly represent the state’s diverse geographic areas and demographic groups.

It bars current and former politicians, political party officials, lobbyists and major political donors from participating in the commission’s work.

It requires fair and impartial districts, making it unconstitutional to create voting districts that discriminate against or favor any political party or individual politician. It also empowers the commission to operate through an open and independent process.

Commission members will draw maps based on federal law and also take into account past election data on party preferences. The commission will ensure that each district has a fairly equal population and that communities of interest remain together.

Down vote on question 1 will reject the independent commission’s proposal and maintain the current structure. Voting no could also mean you’re hoping Republicans will keep their word and come up with a “solution” to improve the system in the coming months.

Accident

A newly released campaign finance report shows that the Citizens Not Politicians party, which voted Yes, has raised nearly $40 million since the start of 2024.

Of the total, 83% came from other states.

The largest donors of money are progressive or nonpartisan groups in Washington, D.C., which are funding about 65% of the campaign so far. Donations in Virginia came from Arlington, which could be called the District of Columbia.

Article IV spent the most—$10.5 million—in Ohio. They are a nonpartisan group of Democrats, Republicans and independents “defending American democracy,” their website says.

Sixteen Thirty Foundationprogressive PAC, donated $6.7 million.

The Ohio Education Association, through its national and local chapters, donated more than $4 million.

As for individual donors, film director Steven Spielberg even took part. He and his wife and actress Kate Capshaw donated $100,000. The award winner was born in Cincinnati. I reached out for comment but received no response.

Opponents of the first option said they were not surprised that the money was coming from liberal donors.

“They’re trying to turn things around and they’re running gerrymanders to get back into power,” said Medina County Republican Bruce Christopher.

He supports the Ohio Works campaign to vote no.

They raised a total of about $6 million in their financial statements.

Of this amount, 52% comes from other states.

The largest contributors come from conservative groups in the District of Columbia and Ohio.

The American organization Jobs and Growth donated the largest amount – $1.75 million. It is a conservative supercommittee associated with utilities and gas policy, according to parliament. Institute of Energy and Policy.

Ohioans for a Healthy Economy, conservative the group donated $1 million.

The American Action Network, another GOP-affiliated PAC, donated $400,000.

One of the largest individual donations came from Cleveland Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam at $100,000. I have reached out to the Haslam family for a statement but have not received a response.

Opponents of the first question argue that the difference in financial support proves that Democrats are trying to gain control.

“Their policies have not been very popular over the years, and in some cases they have lost 60-40,” Christopher said.

Leatherberry disagreed.

“We’re a purple state, we’re not the fiery red Ohio that some people think we are,” she said. “The red state is not adopting last year’s Issue 1 and enshrining reproductive rights in the constitution.”

Organizers of the amendment campaign say the No. 1 issue is not a fight between Democrats and Republicans, but a fight between citizens and politicians – which is why it raises so much money.

Ahead of the 2024 general election, we’ve created a guide to everything you need to know about voting on or before November 5th.

Ohio 2024 VOTER GUIDE: Everything you need to know

CONNECTED: Ohio 2024 VOTER GUIDE: Everything you need to know

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