News

During the September meeting of the Ohio Soybean Association (OSA), the farmer leaders of OSA voted to support Ohio ballot Issue 1. Issue 1 will be on the Ohio ballot in November of 2015, and Ohio Soybean leaders believe it’s critical because it creates a bipartisan, public process for drawing legislative districts. Supporters of the amendment state that it would:

• End the partisan process for drawing Ohio House and Senate districts, and replace it with a bipartisan process with the goal of having district boundaries that are more compact and politically competitive.

• Establish the bipartisan Ohio Redistricting Commission, composed of 7 members including the Governor, the Auditor of State, the Secretary of State, and 4 members appointed by the majority and minority leaders of the General Assembly.
• Ensure a transparent process by requiring public meetings, public displays of maps, and a public letter explaining any plan the Commission adopts by a simple majority vote.

• Require a bipartisan majority of 4 members in order to adopt any final district plan, and prevent deadlock by limiting the length of time any plan adopted without bipartisan support is effective.

 
“Ohio deserves the best government possible,” said Adam Graham, OSA president and soybean farmer from Logan County. “By passing Issue 1, we can ensure better legislative districts determined by a bipartisan and transparent process, resulting in competitive and more compact, legislative boundaries.”