Letter from Ohio Democratic Party - Chris Redfern

Date: Friday Oct. 14, 2011

Dear Juanita,

Late Friday afternoon, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled 7-0 that the Republican-drawn, gerrymandered congressional maps can be subject to a voter referendum.

Make no mistake - this is a history-making victory for all of us. We told John Kasich and his extremist allies in the legislature the day they signed HB 319 into law that we would not back down until the will of the people was heard.  And yesterday, it was heard loud and clear by the court’s decision.

Over the last few weeks, Ohioans from every corner of the state joined our effort to take our case to the Ohio Supreme Court and expose the blatantly partisan congressional map they drew.  Thousands of you donated to our legal fund and urged the Supreme Court to rule the way it did today.

But this is not the end. In fact, this is where the repeal of HB 319 begins.

On Monday morning, our coalition of Ohioans for Fair Districts will request that the Ohio Supreme Court restart the 90-day window for collecting signatures to repeal House Bill 319.  And we are prepared to take whatever steps are necessary to make sure that the people’s voice continues to be heard, and that Ohio isn’t split into the pieces of their partisan puzzle.

Will you add your name to the group of Ohioans who tell John Kasich and Jon Husted, “enough is enough”?  Will you consider another generous contribution today of $10 or $15 that will be spent exclusively in the coming days towards the repeal of 319?

Thank you for everything,

Chris Redfern

(read) The Hidden Hands in Redistricting  
...... the first chapter in an in-depth Pro Publica examination of how powerful players are turning to increasingly sophisticated tools and techniques to game the redistricting process, with voters ultimately losing. 

The GOP War on Redistricting

By ARI BERMAN

AUGUST 30, 2011 7:40 PM ET Rolling Stone

..... a new crop of GOP governors and state legislators has passed a series of seemingly disconnected measures that could prevent millions of students, minorities, immigrants, ex-convicts and the elderly from casting ballots.

(WATCH) As Democracy Now host Amy Goodman talks with Lois Beckett

and Ari Berman