Ohio Redistricting Commission seeks public input to help restore local voices

TOLEDO, Ohio — The Ohio Redistricting Commission held a public hearing Thursday afternoon in Toledo at the Main Branch library downtown.

It was a chance for Ohioans to share their thoughts on the future of the state's legislative districts.

The commission's primary responsibility is to draw legislative maps.

People who spoke during the public hearing were asked to limit their comments to the adoption of Ohio House and Ohio Senate districts.

"We want to make sure that our voices are heard number one for public education plus a whole host of other things for local control to be back to the local districts so their voices are heard by the local elected officials and not dictated by the state, because there's too many state mandates that take away our local control," Sen. Teresa Fedor explained.

This was the eighth of ten meetings. There will be two more Friday: one at 9:30 a.m. at the University of Akron and one at 2:30 at the Ohio State University at Mansfield.