The Left’s Deceptive Move to Gain Redistricting Power – Is Your State Next?

Every once in a while, the decisions made at the bottom of the ballot can have a lasting impact on a state’s political landscape for years to come.

While New Yorkers are gearing up to vote on the contentious “Equal Rights Amendment” on Election Day, Ohio finds itself at the center of an initiative to shift power from the people to unelected bureaucrats in the name of “redistricting reform.”

This movement is not a grassroots effort; rather, it is a coordinated attempt by out-of-state (and even international) left-wing politicians to manipulate voters into amending the state constitution through the passage of Issue 1.

The ballot measure, supported by influential figures like Eric Holder and Marc Elias, and funded by over $20 million in dark money from wealthy Democratic donors including George Soros and Hansjörg Wyss, aims to shift Ohio’s political landscape in favor of the Democratic party.

If Issue 1 passes, it could set a dangerous precedent that other states might follow.

Holder’s National Democratic Redistricting Committee is working towards a fundamental power shift away from the people’s elected representatives towards an unaccountable group selected by no one.

The current Ohio Constitution states, “All political power is inherent in the people,” establishing the basis for the state’s redistricting process, where elected officials create maps for congressional and state-legislature districts.

Adopted in 2015 with bipartisan support and over 70% approval from voters, this process involves the state legislature appointing two Republicans and two Democrats, along with three statewide elected officials, to work on redistricting.

Ohioans have chosen not to delegate this crucial task to unelected individuals.

However, under Issue 1, retired judges and an external recruitment firm would create a roster of 45 supposedly non-partisan candidates for a new 15-member redistricting panel.

From this list, six names would be randomly selected, and those six would then choose the remaining nine members.

This system of selection relies on pure chance or even potential corruption rather than merit or popular endorsement.

These appointed, taxpayer-funded commissioners would only be able to be removed by their colleagues, even in cases of misconduct or criminal behavior, disregarding the will of the citizens of Ohio.

This setup would allow the panel to act without consequences and without transparency, giving a group of unelected bureaucrats the power to determine Ohio’s district maps, effectively overriding the citizens’ wishes.

Additionally, Issue 1 infringes on the core constitutional freedom of speech by prohibiting attempts to influence the redistricting process outside of designated channels.

This severely limits Ohioans’ ability to participate in the process and express their concerns.

Under current laws, individuals can freely communicate with legislators and elected officials, but Issue 1’s bureaucrats are shielded from such interactions, further distancing them from the people they are meant to serve.

Moreover, Issue 1 imposes a stringent 10-day window for legal challenges, limiting citizens’ ability to contest issues like racial gerrymandering and other constitutional violations.

If Issue 1 is passed, citizens lose the ability to influence the redistricting process, face restrictions on expressing their concerns, and have limited recourse to challenge the final decisions.

This subversion of the Ohio voters’ power is a concerning precedent that might spread to other states if not stopped.

Ohioans must carefully consider this issue on Election Day and prevent Issue 1 from passing to avoid similar deceptive tactics spreading to other states.

Vivek Ramaswamy is an Ohio-based business leader and New York Times best-selling author.