The Ohio League of Women Voters, Common Cause, Citizen Action, and some left leaning groups, with support from Ohio Democrats, have submitted petition signatures to put an issue on the ballot that would change the redistricting process.  Ohio Republican Party Chairman Bob Bennett says those petitions are flawed.

Bennett – We expect based upon the shoddy quality of work shown by the circulators with the complete lack of attention to detail that these are unfortunately the first of many discrepancies that will come to light as this review continues.

Henkener – If the Republican Party believes that there’s a problem, fine, they are willing to look at the signatures and if there are problems, we are ready to address them.

That’s Ann Henkener with Voter’s First.

Henkener – But I think it’s really more of an indication of how the politicians want to hang on to power that is not rightfully theirs.

Henkener says this proposed constitutional amendment would give Ohioans an alternative for how to draw legislative and congressional districts that would let voters choose their politicians instead of letting politicians choose their voters.  This complicated proposal, if adopted, would allow a bipartisan board made up of people from various backgrounds, to draw the lines starting in 2014.  She notes the Republicans stand to lose a lot of political ground right now if the process she’s backing is adopted at the ballot box.  Henkener says a couple of problems with paid canvassers were identified last week.  She says those signatures have been thrown out and the problem has been dealt with.  She says the diversity of the groups backing this plan shows there is widespread support for changing the process of redistricting.

Henkener- The Libertarian party has endorsed us and I think that’s because, for the first time, someone other than the two political parties is going to have a say in how the districts are drawn.  And that gives a voice to the third parties and it gives a voice to independents out there who feel they are not really represented by their parties.

Ohio Republican Party Chief Bob Bennett admits there are flaws with the current redistricting process…and he says his objections do not mean he wants to exclude the voice of voters from the redistricting process.

Bennett – I don’t have any objection to the voters taking it into their own hands.  This will require a constitutional amendment anyway.  And the voters will have the final say on it.  What we are talking about is how you get there and this is the wrong approach.

Bennett says the right approach is to allow a legislative commission that’s been looking at redistricting changes to come up with a proposal for changing the process.  Then Ohio voters could have their say on that proposal. There have been two attempts to change the redistricting process in the past and both were shot down by voters.  It’s believed that the current maps give Republicans a big advantage in congressional races with 12 of the 16 districts drawn in a way that the districts will likely go for GOP candidates.  In legislative races, it’s expected the lines are drawn in a way that will let the republican majority now in the statehouse retain control for the next decade.