The Ohio Redistricting Commission held a public hearing in Rio Grande, Ohio on Wednesday to hear constituents’ concerns about Ohio’s political mapmaking.
Carolyn Loxley is a registered nurse from Jackson County. At the hearing she said fair district maps are needed to give Ohioans an equal voice.
“Their vote is their voice, it needs to count in such a way that the total vote is reflected in the representation that we have in our congressional bodies,” said Loxley.
Ted Linscott is a retired third generation bricklayer in Athens, Ohio. He asked the commission to respect the new mapmaking rules created to curb gerrymandering.
“Voters gave you folks a charge. Voters said, ‘We want fair districts. We want to take partisan gerrymandering out of this equation,’” said Linscott.
The Commission has until next Wednesday to vote on state House and Senate district maps and until the end of September to approve congressional district maps.