Sykes Statement on Ohio Redistricting Commission Maps

Today, state Senator Vernon Sykes (D-Akron) released the following statement after the Ohio Redistricting Commission’s unanimous vote to advance state legislative maps.

“The people of Ohio have made their will clear: we must have fair districts. Fair proportionality as prescribed in the constitution cannot be achieved without the majority conceding some of their power. It is difficult to convince partisan officials to give up their unfair advantage,” said Sykes, who previously served as co-chair of the Ohio Redistricting Commission from 2021-2022.

“Although the maps adopted by the Redistricting Commission are not fully in line with the constitution, they nonetheless are improvements. That being said, these maps would not have been possible without the adoption of the most recent fair district amendments. We will never get truly fair, representative districts as long as partisan officials can draw districts that reflect their self-interest. This is why it is extremely important that the people speak again for fair districts and remove partisan officials from the process.”