Statement from Ohio Republican Party Chairman Paduchik on the Democrat Advocacy Group, Ohio Citizens’ Redistricting Commission

COLUMBUS, OH— Chairman Bob Paduchik issued the following statement on Ohio Citizens’ Redistricting Commission:

“The biggest lie in Ohio politics today is the notion that the Ohio Citizens’ Redistricting Commission is a group of voting rights activists instead of a Democrat advocacy organization.

“The next biggest lie is the idea their ‘unity map’ is anything other than a Democrat gerrymander of Ohio legislative districts.”

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Background

The Ohio Citizens’ Redistricting Commission promotes itself as an “independent, nonpartisan commission,” however all but two of its 16 members are registered Democrat voters, and those two individuals have social media presence and posts that advocate for Democrat causes and candidates. There is not a single Republican or Independent member of the commission. OCRC’s claim to be nonpartisan is as hollow as the fairness behind its “unity map.”
The Democrat party has a geography problem because most Democrat voters live in seven of Ohio’s 88 counties; the 2020 Presidential election demonstrates this fact. To make a map Democrats believe is fair would require legislative districts that are extremely gerrymandered.

The so-called unity maps from the OCRC appear to divide 60 county boundaries, and there is no way to tell how many smaller political subdivisions it divides in the House and Senate maps. The “unity map” is nothing more than the Democrat’s best-case scenario under the new redistricting law. It will also be the predicate for an OCRC lawsuit, as stated in public testimony by board member Mr. Sam Gresham.

In addition to drawing Democrat maps, the OCRC has served as an AstroTurf clearing house for pro-Democrat public testimony. Democrat activists can use the OCRC website to submit testimony and draw maps, and the OCRC has done an effective job in driving their activists to public hearings.

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