DEAR EDITOR:

Let’s be clear: If you, the voter, want to end gerrymandering in Ohio, vote “Yes” on Issue 1.

Already you are seeing red signs around the area urging you to vote “No” to “end gerrymandering,” but this is nothing but a twisting of the facts by the Republican supermajority in our Ohio Statehouse, the Republican-dominated Ballot Board and the Ohio Supreme Court — also Republican-dominated — that once again has totally and intentionally distorted the actual ballot language to confuse you. You, the voter, should be offended that they think you are that uninformed.

Issue 1 is proposing to take the drawing of our voting districts out of the control of politicians and putting it into the hands of citizens through a thorough, nonpartisan selection of a 15-member citizens’ commission representative of all Ohio citizens. That’s why it is called “Citizens Not Politicians.” It establishes for voters to choose their elected officials, not for politicians to choose their voters by manipulating voting districts.

The Republican supermajority and the state Ballot Board thought they could fool Ohioans in 2023 when they tried to pass Issue 1 in August 2023 to raise the passage rate of citizen-based amendments to 60% from 50% plus one.

You saw through their trickery and defeated that! Then, you saw through their trickery again in Nov. 2023 by passing Issue 1 to protect Ohioans reproductive rights.

Beware of their trickery again! Vote ‘Yes’ on Issue 1!

JAN DOUGLASS

New Waterford