08-21-2023, 02:31 PM
Ohio passed 2 citizen amendments that sought to limit gerrymandering, they passed overwhelmingly. When the time came to redistrict the committee flat-out ignore the state constitution (as determined multiple times by a bipartisan vote of the state supreme court). Basically, they ignored the orders to fix the maps until they ran the clock out and a 3 member, all-Republican, Federal court hearing ordered these illegal maps used for the 2022 election. That gave the State legislatures a Republican supermajority and at least 2 more Republican members of Congress.
Ohio, in 2022 easily voted in 2 new members of the State Board of Education. The 2 members were liberals which gave Democrats a majority on the board. The illegally gerrymandered supermajority state legislature then turned around and stripped the Board of their policy-making authority giving it to an official appointed by the Republican governor. The voters did everything right and the legislature said FU.
58% of Ohioans back abortion at least through the 1st trimester, the Supermajority passed a hard 6-week ban with no exceptions for rape or incest. Then knowing that a constitutional amendment vote was happening in Nov tried to force through another amendment that would essentially block that citizen-led amendment (and all future citizen-led amendments)...luckily that one failed.
These are just a couple of low-hanging examples of state legislatures ignoring the will of the majority to push their own agendas. The only hope Ohio has of surviving MAGA rule is the citizen-led ballots initiative option. Sadly, though most extremely gerrymandered states don't have citizen options. They have to rely on the courts and those are often as partisan as the legislatures
Ohio, in 2022 easily voted in 2 new members of the State Board of Education. The 2 members were liberals which gave Democrats a majority on the board. The illegally gerrymandered supermajority state legislature then turned around and stripped the Board of their policy-making authority giving it to an official appointed by the Republican governor. The voters did everything right and the legislature said FU.
58% of Ohioans back abortion at least through the 1st trimester, the Supermajority passed a hard 6-week ban with no exceptions for rape or incest. Then knowing that a constitutional amendment vote was happening in Nov tried to force through another amendment that would essentially block that citizen-led amendment (and all future citizen-led amendments)...luckily that one failed.
These are just a couple of low-hanging examples of state legislatures ignoring the will of the majority to push their own agendas. The only hope Ohio has of surviving MAGA rule is the citizen-led ballots initiative option. Sadly, though most extremely gerrymandered states don't have citizen options. They have to rely on the courts and those are often as partisan as the legislatures
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