Dear Editor,

What is Issue 2? I would wager that most voters in this state have no clue how the legislative boundaries are drawn. Everyone assumes that the legislative districts are “fair”. They are not. They don’t know that every ten years, after the census, the political party in power controls the “apportionment board” which gets to draw the lines. The “apportionment board” consists of the Governor, the Secretary of State, the State Auditor, a member selected by the Speaker of the Ohio House and the senate leader of the same party, and a member selected by the house and senate leaders of other party. Republicans have used their majority on the apportionment board to skew the boundaries so that republicans win a majority are by design, Republicans make no apologies for taking full advantage of a flawed system. But what alternative is there? Issue 2 is that alternative. The sponsors are a coalition led by League of Women Voters of Ohio. Issue 2, the Ohio Redistricting Amendment, would require the districts to be drawn by a citizens commission. The Independent Citizens Commission will operate with openness and transparency. The Commission will empower voters to choose their politicians instead of politicians picking their voters. This citizens commission is tasked with fairly drawing the districts in an open forum where any citizen can submit a plan for consideration. Passage of Issue 2 will change politics in Ohio forever.

George L. Yerkes

Wadsworth, Ohio