Here’s What They’re Saying: Mike DeWine Ignored Will of Ohio Voters By Signing Disgraceful Maps Into Law
November 23, 2021
“What the hell happened here? Ohio Republicans just decided to disregard the state constitution and the voters.”
Columbus, OH — Plain and simple, Ohio voters were betrayed Saturday by Mike DeWine’s political games. Yet again, instead of doing what’s right for Ohio, Mike DeWine looked out for his own interests and caved to extreme Republicans in the legislature by signing a gerrymandered map into law. This comes despite the fact that Ohioans overwhelmingly twice voted for fair maps and a fair redistricting process, something DeWine promised to abide by in 2018.
But the political reality for DeWine is that he’s hemorrhaging support within his own party and too scared to stand up to his own party. So rather than do the right thing by Ohio voters, he’s backing down to extreme Republicans and looking out only for himself.
“Mike DeWine has spent his decades in politics only looking out for his own interests, and the redistricting process has put a giant spotlight on his inability to look out for anyone but himself. DeWine and the Ohio GOP are doing everything and anything they can to prevent voters from holding them accountable at the ballot box while they continue to betray Ohioans at every turn,” said Ohio Democratic Party Spokesperson Matt Keyes.
Read more about what they’re saying about DeWine’s betrayal below:
The Columbus Dispatch: Redistricting: Eric Holder-backed lawsuit challenges Ohio congressional map
Jessie Balmert
“‘That Ohio’s new congressional map, signed by Gov. DeWine on Saturday, is a partisan gerrymander in violation of the state constitution is quite clear,’ said Marina Jenkins, NRAF’s director of litigation and policy. The group filed its lawsuit Monday at the Ohio Supreme Court on behalf of 12 Ohioans.
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“Ohio voters approved changes to the state constitution in 2018, making a new process for drawing the maps. According to the complaint, Ohio lawmakers and DeWine went against Ohio voters’ wishes when they adopted the congressional map.
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“‘In enacting the 2021 Congressional Plan, the General Assembly – and Governor DeWine – seek to turn the clock back to before 2018, when it had free rein to gerrymander maps as it wished. However, the legal regime has changed, and the court should not countenance the General Assembly’s and the governor’s attempt to flout the wishes of Ohio voters,’ according to the complaint.”
CNN: Buckeye Blackeye: Ohio GOP Maps are an Insult to Democracy
John Avalon
“The Great State of Ohio just showed us how professional partisan cynical disregard for the will of the people undermines representative democracy.
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“Ohio Republicans have disregarded the will of voters in the state and have passed a redistricting map which could violate the state’s constitution and possibly the US Voting Rights Act.
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“These maps are an insult to democracy. They are designed to disenfranchise voters.
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“What the hell happened here? Ohio Republicans just decided to disregard the state constitution and the voters.
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“Republicans only care about controlling congress in the upcoming midterms and they won’t be constrained by pesky things like laws and state constitutions in their pursuit of power.”
Andrew Tobias
“In signing the congressional redistricting bill on Saturday, DeWine rejected calls to veto the map from voting-rights groups, Democrats and left-leaning advocacy groups.
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“‘The rules are pretty clear — the voters said that the redistricting process should be done in a bipartisan way and when I am governor there will be an expectation that the new district maps honor the voters’ wishes,’ DeWine told the Cincinnati Enquirer in 2018 while he was running for governor.
“But in a statement he issued Saturday while announcing he had signed off on the map, DeWine, like Republican lawmakers, touted the greater number of competitive districts in the new plan, compared to the current, heavily gerrymandered, noncompetitive map, which saw no seats change hands during the decade it was in effect.”
Ohio Capital Journal: Ohio Gov. DeWine signs Republican congressional map with huge GOP advantage
David DeWitt
“Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has signed Statehouse Republicans’ congressional map for Ohio giving the GOP a substantial advantage, claiming that of all the maps presented it ‘makes the most progress to produce a fair, compact and competitive map.’
“With DeWine’s signature, legal challenges are expected to be forthcoming.
“DeWine’s son, Justice Pat DeWine, has refused to recuse himself from the case, making Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor the potential swing vote on the constitutionality of the Republican plans that continue Republican supermajorities in the Ohio House and Senate and now an 11-2 advantage in congressional maps with two potential toss-up districts.
“ ‘Once again, Gov. DeWine has failed to stand up to the extremists in his party. He could have rejected gerrymandered maps, but chose weakness instead,’ said Desiree Tims, president and CEO of Innovation Ohio. ‘These rigged districts will lead to more extreme politicians who pass dangerous laws that devastate Ohio communities.’ ”