Coalition wants to radically alter Ohio's elections
Friday, April 22, 2005
T.C. Brown
Cleveland Plain Dealer Bureau

Columbus - Voters in November could see three issues on the ballot aimed at radically changing the future of elections in Ohio.

A coalition of people describing themselves as interested in "good government" issues are formulating a soup of Democrat-backed propositions for amendments to Ohio's constitution that would: 

Take the politics out of the system used to draw Ohio's congressional and legislative districts.

Lower the newly imposed $10,000 limit on individual campaign contributions.

Establish a bipartisan board to elect an administrator to supervise Ohio elections.

The group plans to present petition language to Ohio's attorney general next week, said Paul Tipps, lobbyist and former Ohio Democratic Party chairman, who is providing political advice.

All three issues could be placed on one petition, but they would appear separately on the ballot. To make the ballot, proponents must gather 322,000 signatures from registered voters.

"This is right down the middle as far as good government is concerned," said Tipps, who did not identify participants. "A whole bunch of people are involved and it appears extremely well organized."

The three new issues could make for a crowded ballot, with other proposals ranging from casino gambling to the governor's economic development program.

Cliff Arnebeck, of the Alliance for Democracy and one of the participants, said the model for the new districts is based on ideas from Common Cause.

"The concept is to have something nonpartisan so the focus is on competitive districts to allow voters to have a choice as opposed to a district that overwhelmingly favors one party over another," Arnebeck said.

Now, district maps are drawn every 10 years after the U.S. Census by a state panel made up of the governor, secretary of state, state auditor and one state legislator from each political party. Republicans, who control the board, have created a map designed to maximize the number of districts in which a Republican can win.

It's worked.

The Ohio House, Ohio Senate and congressional delegation are dominated by Republicans.

Also under review is lowering the limit on campaign contributions.

In a special session at the end of last year, the legislature quadrupled the limits, raising them from $2,500 to $10,000. Supporters said the change would slow the special-interest money pouring into campaigns, but opponents said it would simply allow the majority party to raise more and raise it more quickly.

The third issue would be for the election of an administrator to oversee Ohio's elections, a job now held by elected Secretary of State Ken Blackwell.

"The model would be the one used now for Ohio's boards of elections - nonpartisan," Arnebeck said. "They would pick a mutually accepted administrator for the election process."

Labor has been involved in some of the discussions, said Tim Burga, of the Ohio AFL-CIO.