CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Issue 1, an anti-gerrymandering measure on the 2024 ballot, received lots of criticism from voters on how it is presented during the vote.

This measure would replace the current seven-politician redistricting committee (consisting of two Democrats and five Republicans) with a 15-person redistricting council.

This council would be composed of non-politicians (five Republicans, five Democrats and five independents). Any new political map for Ohio would then be decided by this group.

The new redistricting commission would “broadly represent the different geographic and demographic areas of the state” and require “fair and impartial political districts.”

Number 1 is a response to efforts to map previous electionswhich has seen seven unconstitutional maps created by the current redistricting commission.

Whenever the Ohio Supreme Court declared that they were being too gerrymandered, before the eighth and final map was deemed acceptable, thus ending the months-long saga.

The text a voter will see on their ballot for Issue 1 is nearly two pages long, with an explanation of the measure written by the Ohio voting committee (filled out by two Democrats, two Republicans and the Secretary of State). State (right) Frank LaRose). This is very different from what the full amendment to number 1 says.

The “Citizens, Not Politicians” group that created Issue 1 appealed to the Ohio Supreme Court to have the text rewritten, saying it was misleading and did not have “a summary clear and precise” of the amendment as required by Ohio. Constitution.

The Supreme Court accepted minor changes, but the majority of the text would remain the same.

The decision was made with all Republican justices (4) saying the language should stay, and Democratic justices (3) saying it should change.

According to Jonathan Entin, a law professor at Case Western Reserve University, he believes the language presented on the ballot does not provide a neutral view of the issue itself, almost encouraging voters to vote “no.”

“If people just rely on the language used in the voting, they will see something skewed against No. 1,” Entin said.

Entin says the reason the language isn’t taken directly from the written amendment is due to its length. The entire 17-page amendment is simply not practical to fit on an election ballot, so it is necessary to condense it. In contrast, this still needs to be explained in detail due to its complexity.

“This is a fairly complicated measure to begin with,” Professor Entin said. “So it’s not like you can have a single 200-word paragraph and capture everything in it.”

Secretary LaRose’s office says the ballot language is accurate, encouraging confused voters to research the entire amendment before voting, which can be done at your polling place.

“The summary approved by the voting committee is fair, factual and has been upheld by the Ohio Supreme Court. It precisely identifies the substance of the proposed change. Ohio voters can find the ballot language, the full text of the amendment, and the official arguments for and against the amendment by visiting our website at OhioSOS.gov The entire amendment is also posted at polling places in all 88 counties.

Professor Entin agrees, saying a ballot measure should never be the first impression of a ballot measure.

“I think people should not rely on the language used in the voting,” Entin said. “Because the language actually seems to encourage people to vote ‘No’.”

While the ballot language may be confusing, 19 News’ election coverage will continue to provide clarity through November 5.

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