From the

AP

Ballot Issues Aim to Change Ohio Politics
By JOHN McCARTHY

Backers filed petitions with hundreds of thousands of signatures to put
measures on the November ballot aimed at curbing the power of elected
officials in the way Ohio runs its elections.

The coalition of labor unions and Democrat-leaning activists is counting on
support from voters disillusioned with a state scandal that has dogged
majority Republicans for months and was sparked by the revelation of losses in
investments into rare coins.

The measures would create a court-appointed board to choose congressional
and legislative redistricting maps, create a state elections board and lower
the limits on campaign contributions.

“We, the citizens, are supposed to drive the system, not the politicians,”
said Jan Fleming of Uptown Progressives, a Columbus community activist group.
“Elected officials now choose the voters, rather than the other way around.”

The coalition on Tuesday filed petitions with the state bearing 521,000
signatures for each of three ballot measures. To get on the November ballot,
the backers need 322,000 valid signatures of registered voters.

Counties will have about two weeks to verify the signatures, said Carlo
LoParo, spokesman for Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell, Ohio’s chief
elections official. If supporters fall short on valid signatures they will
have another 10 days to meet the goal.

Under the ballot proposal, a five-person board appointed by a judge would
choose plans for legislative and congressional districts from among proposals
that anyone could submit. The ability to map legislative districts is prized
because lines are drawn to strengthen the majority of the ruling party.

The lines now are drawn every 10 years by the state Apportionment Board,
consisting of the governor, auditor, secretary of state and a lawmaker from
each party. Republicans control the board and the Legislature, which draws
congressional boundaries.

Another ballot proposal would put a nine-member, bipartisan board in charge
of elections, instead of the secretary of state. The third would lower the
limit on individual contributions from $10,000 to $2,000 for statewide
candidates and $1,000 for legislative candidates.

Backers got another boost Tuesday when the state Supreme Court unanimously
dismissed a lawsuit that sought to keep the proposals off the ballot. The suit
had argued their wording was flawed.

Being a resident of Ohio, I am very glad to see this issue on the ballot. In
2000 and 2004, the states that gave Bush the Presidency had Attorney Generals
who were also Bush campaign managers. That is a perfect example of a conflict of
interest. If you live in Ohio be sure to support this important measure.