GOP Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine opposes fall ballot effort to replace troubled political mapmaking system

Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine says he’ll work to defeat a fall ballot issue to remake the state’s troubled political mapmaking system. At a news conference Wednesday, DeWine said the system created by the proposed constitutional amendment would divide communities and mandate partisan outcomes. He says if voters approve it in November, he will work with the GOP-controlled Legislature in January to advance an alternative amendment modeled on Iowa’s redistricting system. Backers of the Citizens Not Politicians proposal say DeWine’s alternative doesn’t remove politicians who passed repeated unconstitutional maps from the process. Their campaign reported Wednesday raising nearly $25 million.