Today, in a 4-3 decision, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that the gerrymandered Ohio House and Senate district maps are invalid and must be redrawn within 10 days. 

The following is a statement from Common Cause Ohio Executive Director Catherine Turcer: 

“This is welcome news for the people of Ohio.  We have much more work to do to deliver fair and representative maps for Ohioans, and we are glad the Ohio Supreme Court agrees. Ohio voters overwhelmingly approved the rules for state legislative mapmaking in 2015. At public hearings held around the state, voters made clear that we deserve fair maps that comply with the criteria in the Ohio Constitution. That includes the requirement for representational fairness and a prohibition against drawing districts primarily to favor or disfavor a political party.

We completely agree that the state legislative district maps passed by the Ohio Redistricting Commission failed to uphold the guarantees in the Ohio Constitution. 

The Supreme Court has made clear today that our work is not over. It is more important than ever that Ohioans continue to show up in force to testify at hearings and participate in a robust public debate to ensure that the state legislative district maps serve the best interests of our communities.   

We call on the Ohio Redistricting Commission to provide significant opportunities for public input, to conduct a process with full transparency, and to prioritize the needs of communities over the desire to win elections. 

We look forward to working with the Ohio Redistricting Commission and the public to secure fair maps that strengthen our voting power to hold elected leaders accountable to our needs.”