Ohio’s two Black Republican state lawmakers have diverged from their Black Democratic colleagues on Issue 1, the proposed constitutional amendment changing how Congressional and state legislative districts are drawn.
In the final weeks of the election, Issue 1’s possible effects on Ohio’s minority communities have become part of the conversation as both sides try to sway voters for or against the intricate amendment.
Sen. Michele Reynolds (R-Canal Winchester) is the only Black member of the Ohio Senate GOP caucus, and the conservative suburban Columbus lawmaker has been out against Issue 1. Reynolds said last Thursday she believes it could result in fewer seats for minority lawmakers like herself, for one.
“I was able to get Republican, Democratic and independent votes in order to win my seat,” Reynolds said. “They have more to lose than I do, so I just want to make sure that those Black legislators that have endorsed this understand what they’re voting for, and they're careful, because they may just get what they asked for.”
Though Reynolds was front and center, the Thursday press conference wasn’t the first by the recently formed Black Equity Redistricting Fund, which has been pushing Michigan’s Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission—created by voters in 2016—as reason to kill Issue 1.
In 2022, the commission was forced to redraw its districts after Black residents of Detroit sued, claiming the commission violated the U.S. Constitution by relying mostly on race and ultimately minimizing the Black vote in some districts.
The Ohio Legislative Black Caucus has endorsed Issue 1, though Reynolds isn’t a member. As have civil rights organizations, like the NAACP, and numerous Black faith leaders.
“These Black legislators did their homework to educate themselves so we know what the hell we're endorsing,” said Rep. Terrence Upchurch (D-Cleveland), OLBC president, who added that he believes Issue 1 opponents are intentionally trying to confuse voters.
Though OLBC had reservations at first, Upchurch said that homework included dissecting how the amendment differs from Michigan’s amendment. For one, he said he believes direct reference to the Voting Rights Act offers safeguards from minority communities’ voices being diluted.
A recent simulation by the Brennan Center for Justice, which is also backing the redistricting amendment, showed that newly drawn districts would at least preserve the traditional Black voting populations in Cleveland.
