Democrats push for changes to Republican-run ballot board after 'biased' Issue 1 wording

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A new proposal by Democratic lawmakers would restructure Ohio's Ballot Board, after the state's Supreme Court ordered the Republican-controlled board to revise Issue 1 language appearing on November's ballot.

Ohio's Ballot Board, which certifies the ballot language for proposed Constitutional amendments and initiatives, would be restructured under the legislation to have co-chairs of opposite parties who jointly set the board's agenda. Democrats said the changes would "increase bipartisan cooperation," who spared with the board over "deceptive" wording for 2023's abortion rights amendments and the language for this fall's Issue 1 on redistricting.

"For three straight elections now, Ohioans stood by helplessly as the Republican-controlled Ballot Board played partisan politics with the democratic values guaranteed to voters in the Ohio constitution," said Rep. Beryl Brown Piccolantonio (D-Gahanna) at a Sept. 20 news conference. "All of us who serve as lawmakers are elected by Ohioans who rightfully expect and want us to work together to represent their interests in government."

If passed, Issue 1, proposed by a group called Citizens Not Politicians, would create an independent redistricting commission of 15 Ohio citizens, rather than the current commission made up of seven politicians. A "yes" vote would be in support of the citizen-led commission, and a "no" vote means to keep the system as is.

The Ohio Supreme Court ordered the ballot wording to be revised after a lawsuit said Republicans on the Ohio Ballot Board, who largely oppose Issue 1, twisted the language to be "biased" and "misleading." The board ended up making two revisions to the wording that Ohioans will see when voting on Nov. 5, each less than a sentence long.

Written largely by Secretary of State Frank LaRose, chairperson of the board who is against Issue 1, the ballot language will say the amendment would instead "require gerrymandering" and limit the public's ability to weigh in on the process. Republican lawmakers assert that the language isn't deceptive.

"To say that this misleads people is simply untrue," said state Sen. Theresa Gavarone (R-Bowling Green). "The ballot language, this summary accurately describes what's in that amendment."

"I wish they hadn't contested our ballot language, which is truthful and factual, lays out exactly what Issue 1 does," said LaRose.

House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington), a supporter of Issue 1 and the bill to restructure the board, said, "Power-hungry politicians used the Ballot Board as a political tool to write dishonest language to deceive, mislead, and defraud voters."

"As its chairman, Secretary of State LaRose has destroyed the reputation of this body beyond repair," said Russo. "No secretary of state should put their own political ambitions in front of the best interests of the people. These types of partisan actions, from Republicans or Democrats, are wrong and fail the people of Ohio."

If signed into law, the proposal would require legislative leader's appointments to the board to be agreed upon by both legislative leaders of opposite parties in the Ohio House and Senate. Lobbyists and politicians would be prohibited from serving as an appointed member on the board. The board would also determine statewide ballot issue titles by a majority vote, rather than the secretary of state.

"When Ohioans go to the polls, they expect partisan bickering to be left out of the voting booth," said Rep. Terrence Upchurch (D-Cleveland), who is a member of the current board. "The system currently in place to ensure that is broken and, as elected officials, we owe it to the people to solve a problem within our democratic process with bipartisan solutions."