The Redistricting Commission is meeting at 10:30am, but we're hearing they might gavel in and then immediately recess.
Stay tuned for more info!
Speaker Cupp gavels the Commission to order.
All 7 Commissioners are present today.
Huffman moves to have the Commission stand in recess until 3pm.
Leader Sykes interjects before the vote is taken asking if the Commission can provide more details to the public about why they're recessing - THANK YOU!
Speaker Cupp says that they're working on some "final consultations" and looking at changes to the ultimate map that the Commission will vote on.
No objections to the recess - they'll be back at 3pm!
In the next few hours, join us in sending a LOUD message to our Commissioners to adopt only the #FairMaps that we deserve!
With just a few days’ notice, so many of our dedicated AOTL Ohio volunteers attended our 3 hearings to demand #FairMaps and are featured in this article’s run down.
The final public input hearing on the state legislative maps that will impact our political future for the next 10 years.
There are 87 (!!) people signed up to testify today, which would be shocking if we didn't already know y'all are ready for #FairMaps!
While we wait for the hearing to start at 10:30am, why not get your morning off on the right foot by giving the Commission leaders a call/email to tell them to OPPOSE the GOP-proposed map.
Speaker Cupp opens by mentioning that there is a remote location in Marietta where folks can appear to give testimony being virtually played in the Statehouse.
Virtual testimony makes this process more accessible and it should've been available for everyone.
All 7 members of the commission are in attendance today for this hearing - marking just the 4th time that's happened in nearly 15 hearings of the commission.
Sen. Sykes mentions there are more than 50 people signed up to testify today!
As we've always known, Ohioans are fired up and ready for #FairMaps - can't wait to hear from all of you.
The testimony last night mirrored our own feelings and those of our coalition (@EqualDistricts) that the GOP map craves apart our communities, doesn’t reflect how we vote, and doesn’t give BIPOC communities the representation they deserve.
Today, we saw Republicans revealed to be at the center of a staggering corruption scandal at the Statehouse. At the heart of the issue is that under gerrymandered maps, politicians are more beholden to extremists and lobbyists than they are to their voters.
Thread to follow.
So what happened? Speaker Larry Householder and four lobbyists were arrested in a $60 million racketeering and bribery scandal surrounding the passage of controversial HB6 - a bill that gutted our clean energy standards and bailed out two failing nuclear plants.
Ohioans overwhelmingly support investing in green energy and acting on climate. That HB6 was even on the table for conversation is a direct result of gerrymandering - if our elected officials cared about their constituents' opinions this bill would have never gone anywhere.