State Senator Michael J. Skindell (D-Lakewood) is calling on all Ohio’s eligible voters to support Issue 1, on the May primary ballot. Early voting for the primary begins Tuesday, April 10, and voters of any party as well as independents can vote on ballot issues.
Skindell encourages everyone to vote Yes on Issue 1, a bipartisan reform to Ohio’s congressional redistricting process.
Under the existing process, “The gerrymandering of our state’s congressional districts creates more partisanship that undermines our ability to find common ground on issues affecting Ohioans on a daily basis,” Skindell said last May.
Skindell has fought for years to get gerrymandering out of Ohio politics.
- In 2011 he was one of only a handful of state senators to vote against Ohio’s current, distorted maps.
- In 2017, as a member of the State Ballot Board, Skindell voted to certify a reform proposed by the League of Women Voters-led Fair Districts Coalition.
- This winter, he played a leading part within the legislature to criticize a competing proposal which reformers described as a sham. The resulting refusal of any Democrats to co-sponsor the proposal led to new negotiations involving Republicans, Democrats, and independent reform advocates.
- In February, the Ohio Senate voted unanimously to support a vastly improved reform proposal, which is going before voters as Issue 1.
Skindell commends the Fair Districts Coalition’s role, and that of volunteer activists. While some details of Issue 1 differ from the citizen initiative for which the coalition has collected signatures, its protections for transparency and citizen participation demonstrate the influence of good-government groups.
The Fair Districts coalition is promoting Yes on Issue 1. Skindell, who is running to be state representative for House District 13, is pleased to join their effort. His campaign is formally encouraging support for Issue 1 as part of a mailing to voters this month.