OEA congratulates CNP on ballot signature success

[July 1, 2024] The Ohio Education Association (OEA) is celebrating the tireless work of its members and so many other Ohioans who spent the last several months educating fellow voters about the citizen-led Citizens Not Politicians initiative to end gerrymandering in Ohio and collecting the signatures needed to get the measure on the ballot in November. Citizens Not Politicians volunteers delivered more than 730,000 signatures to the Secretary of State’s office Monday, marking an enormous step forward to fix Ohio’s broken legislative redistricting system and ensure every Ohioan is truly represented in the statehouse and Congress.

“When we pass this bipartisan measure to end gerrymandering once and for all, we will finally give Ohioans a true voice in the decisions that affect our schools and communities every day,” said Ohio Education Association President Scott DiMauro. “From securing school funding to meet the needs of the 90 percent of Ohio children who attend public schools to the bills that attempt to dictate what and how Ohio’s trained, experienced educators can teach, the policy decisions of Ohio’s lawmakers have an enormous impact on our ability to deliver the world-class education our students deserve.”

“With fair legislative districts that make lawmakers accountable to the voters of our state, we can ensure pro-public education candidates—from both parties—have a fair shot at winning seats in our statehouse to represent us,” DiMauro said.

If voters approve the Citizens Not Politicians ballot initiative in November, a 15-member panel of citizens – five Democrats, five Republicans, and five Independents – will draw Ohio’s legislative district maps through a newly designed process emphasizing transparency and fairness.

To learn more about the Citizens Not Politicians ballot initiative and OEA’s support for this effort, listen to OEA’s recent conversation with Retired Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor and former Ohio Supreme Court Justice Yvette McGee Brown in the latest episode of the Public Education Matters podcast.