Sun 1/21 @ 9-10AM
Many people are up in arms that the Ohio House went back into session briefly last week and then promptly adjourned after voting to override Governor DeWine’s veto of their anti-transgender bill, a bill based on inflammatory lies that immiserates people already struggling with condemnation and politicians telling them how to manage their lives.
This comes after the Ohio legislature has had its least productive year since 1955, passing a mere 16 bills despite being one of the few full-time legislatures with full-time pay. Issues that impact the lives of countless Ohioans — education, health care, job creation, infrastructure, housing, food insecurity, the opioid crisis, gun safety (ha!) — were left on the back burner to get cold.
Why? One of the key reasons is that Ohio is one of the most gerrymandered states in the country. While about 55% of the voters in an average year vote for a Republican for the state legislature, the GOP has a 75% majority in Columbus. When individual legislators have safe districts drawn so they never have to even meet a constituent, and lopsided maps mean that the majority party is effectively the ONLY party, elected officials no longer need to answer to citizens — so they don’t.
That will hopefully change after November’s election. A group called Citizens Not Politicians is working to take the district drawing pen away from elected officials and give it to a non-partisan citizens’ redistricting commission. The issue is catching fire across the state: signatures are being collected to place the issue on the ballot, and they’re not due until the beginning of July.
Want to learn more? Of course you do! Come to the Unitarian Universalist Congrgation of Cleveland in Shaker Heights Sunday morning to hear Annette Tucker, Shaker Heights chair of the League of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland, and State Senator Nickie Antonio, Ohio Redistricting Commission Co-Chair, share the hard facts. Don’t be duped by the lies such as “Well, the Democrats voted to approve the last map.” They had no choice; the Republicans would’ve just made it worse.
The forum, part of its Forums That Matter series, is free and open to the public and no registration is needed. Don’t be intimidated because it’s in a church. Unitarians never tell people what to believe because they think you have to work that out for yourself! Get more information here. You can also listen via Zoom here.