Hicks-Hudson Condemns Republican Ballot Board Members' Interference with Issue 1

Today, state Senator Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo) issued the following statement after the Ohio Ballot Board voted along party lines to adopt misleading language that will appear on the ballot in this November’s election for Issue 1, more commonly known as the “Citizens Not Politicians” redistricting constitutional amendment.

"This last-minute effort by the Secretary of State's office is a pathetic and disgraceful attempt to deceive and manipulate voters at the ballot box,” said Hicks-Hudson. “Putting the word ‘gerrymander’ in the actual ballot language is a clear sign that these Republican politicians are petrified of relinquishing control in their districts and will stop at nothing, even the Ohio Constitution, to maintain their power. They are trying to put their thumb on the scale so voters will be confused in a last gasp attempt to keep their grip on power. It’s a move that is beyond disrespectful to the volunteers who volunteered their time to get this issue on the ballot and the Ohioans who signed the petitions for fairer representation here at the Statehouse. I pray the Supreme Court sees how brazenly unconstitutional this language is and corrects this shameful action by the GOP Ballot Board members."

The Secretary of State’s office is responsible for drafting ballot language. Senator Hicks-Hudson, who serves on the Ballot Board, wrote to Secretary LaRose last week requesting that he share the draft language with the board, but he did not distribute the language until twenty-four hours prior.