Ohio Republican Party chairman Alex Triantafilou, left, talks with Shelby County Republican Party Chairman Dan Cecil on Friday at the intersection of Poplar Street and Main Avenue. Triantafilou was on a bus tour that stopped in Sidney for a rally to encourage people to vote “no,” on Issue 1.
Luke Gronneberg | Sidney Daily News
SIDNEY — The Ohio Republican Party held a rally on Friday morning in downtown Sidney on a stop on a bus tour around the state that was designed to encourage people to vote against Issue 1.
About two dozen people attended the rally and heard Ohio Republican Party chairman Alex Triantafilou speak about the statewide issue. The campaign in favor of the issue has said it will stop gerrymandering, but Triantafilou said it will gerrymander in favor of Democrats.
“Issue 1 is a scam and a lie,” Triantafilou told those in attendance. “It’s being perpetrated by the left to try to win elections in a state where they’ve been unable to win elections over the last decade or more.
“… (Ohio) used to be a swing state. It’s not anymore, luckily for us. …It’s because the Democrats have left the mainstream of American politics. The issues they talk about have nothing to do with the lives of people in Shelby County.
“… Issue 1 is not about fair districts. It’s not bipartisan. It’s an out-of-Ohio scam to build out more districts that help Democrats win elections.”
Issue 1 calls for Ohio to use a system similar to what Michigan began using about 10 years ago. It would amend the state constitution to change how federal and state legislative maps are drawn.
A commission of appointed citizens would oversee the process. The commission would be made of five people who are registered as Democrats, five who are Republicans and five who are unaffiliated. No former politicians, political party officials or lobbyists would be allowed to serve.
“There’s nothing bipartisan about this,” Triantafilou said in an interview after he was finished with his speech. “This is an effort by Democrats to gerrymander Ohio. And the Supreme Court of Ohio has agreed with our assessment that this would gerrymander the state.
“I just want people to understand there’s misinformation out there, and they should be aware that Republicans are unanimously ‘No on Issue 1.’”
Ohio voters passed anti-gerrymandering reforms in 2015 and 2018, the latter of which created the Ohio Redistricting Commission that is made of seven officials elected to statewide offices, including the governor.
The Redistricting Commission came under fire while redrawing districts in 2021 and 2022; the state supreme court ruled twice the commission had created maps that were unconstitutionally gerrymandered.
Last year, a group called Citizens Not Politicians was formed and put forward Issue 1; the group collected over 700,000 petition signatures to get the issue on the ballot this fall.
Citizens Not Politicians says politicians and lobbyists manipulate districts to favor their interests. The group says if passed, Issue 1 would require “fair and impartial districts.”
“It’s important to note that the maps as they are currently drawn were signed off by Democrats in this state, so the current structure has Democrat support when the last set of lines were drawn,” Triantafilou said. “We find ourselves in a situation where outside special interest dollars are flowing to Ohio, really just trying to carve up Ohio in a way that will help Democrats.”
It was the fourth day for the statewide bus tour. Aside from Triantafilou, state senator Matt Huffman, R-Lima, was on the bus on Friday.
“It’s going really well,” Triantafilou said. “We’ve seen the energy again. A lot of cars honking along the way. We’re trying to educate people about this issue, which we think is a scourge , a lie and a scam.”
Aside from Issue 1, Triantafilou spoke in favor of U.S. Senate candidate Bernie Moreno and encouraged people to vote early.
“Early voting is not a cuss word in Ohio; somebody said that to me in my last stop,” Triantafilou said. “Go cast your ballot as soon as possible. You van vote in person, you can vote by mail if you choose, you can throw it in a drop box that’s secure.
“We have a saying in Ohio: ‘it’s okay to vote that way.’”
The tour stopped on the corner of North Main Avenue and East Popular Street in downtown Sidney. The location has been used by the Shelby County Republican Party on Saturday mornings in recent months to distribute information, campaign materials and yard signs.
The Party will again be set up on Saturday, the final day for the Great Sidney Farmer’s Market. While the market will end for the season, the Party will continue to set up at the location on Saturdays leading up to Election Day.
Reach Sidney Daily News editor Bryant Billing at 937-538-4822, or follow @BryantBillingSDN on Facebook or @TopBillingSport on X (Twitter).
