This blog post contains resources to help you take action on REDISTRICTING REFORM. Ohio voters will have an opportunity to vote on May 8th to improve Ohio's congressional re-districting process.
As Jesus hung on the cross, he said Forgive them, for they know not what they do… and make sure that congressional districts are compact and competitive and that counties are only divided when necessary….
Okay, maybe not, but redistricting is a moral issue. While a nerdy and detailed oriented topic, improving Ohio’s congressional district map will improve our democracy; create better conditions for collaboration, and - in the end - result in better public policy to solve hunger in Ohio.
Ohioans will have the opportunity to vote on a redistricting plan on May 8th that will improve our congressional districts in Ohio. We encourage you to vote YES on Issue 1!
Competitive districts will help us to listen to one another.
When districts are competitive, candidates have to listen to the people in the district and seek to solve problems. While we need individuals taking principled, ideological stances at certain times, we need most Representatives working with everyone and trying to find common ground.
Second, compact districts will encourage community.
Right now, Summit and Cuyahoga Counties are divided into four congressional districts. Franklin county is divided into 3. This makes it hard for one congressional representative to meet the people of the district, bring people together for conversation and community.
Finally, we need to have faith in the electoral process.
As people of faith, we recognize that our ultimate faith rests in a higher power than any political process. However, democracy only works when people walk into a booth, cast a ballot and trust that the outcome – like it or not – is the will of the people. That faith is shaky right now among too many Ohioans who see partisan primaries determine the winner and not a general election.
State Issue 1 has support from the League of Women Voters and other good government advocacy organizations, democrats and republicans in the state legislature, and many others. We encourage you to vote YES on Issue 1 because it will help keep counties together and require more bi-partisan support for maps that are drawn every two years.
TAKE ACTION
- Download a bulletin insert for your congregation
- Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper by clicking here
- Send an email to your networks: Here is a sample email.
- To get involved to support the campaign you can visit the campaign website at https://www.fairdistrictsohio.org