Leadership Now Senior Advisor Richard Stoff and business leader Mario Morino advocate in an op-ed for the passage of Ohio's Issue 1, a proposed state constitutional amendment to empower citizen-led redistricting, emphasizing its importance in restoring competition and trust in the state's political system by ending gerrymandering.

In this op-ed, member Jeni Britton and Senior Advisor Richard Stoff advocate for Ohio's Issue 1, urging voters to end gerrymandering and ensure every voice in the state matters.

Leadership Now Project’s open letter is compared to the Ohio Chamber position, reporting that while the Chamber’s position is “understandable” it doesn't make it right and calling Issue 1 a “pure power grab”.

“Among all its other ills, partisan gerrymandering also threatens Ohio’s business climate, risking its reputation as a business-friendly state”, writes Dean Emeritus of the Cleveland State University College of Law Steven H. Steinglass.

Leadership Now is mentioned as a key business voice advocating for the Citizens Not Politicians amendment, which aimed to end partisan gerrymandering in Ohio by assigning redistricting to an independent 15-person commission.

Ohio’s democracy was tested in a special election on August 8, 2023, which proposed raising the threshold for citizen ballot initiatives from 50% to 60%. Leadership Now Senior Advisor Richard Stoff offered a powerful perspective on what was at stake.

Leadership Now Ohio’s open letter opposing Issue 1 was featured as the leading business voice against the measure, countering several statewide business associations and warning that it would undermine democratic stability and harm the state’s long-term business climate.

Leadership Now Project is a 2024 Anthem Award recipient for “Protecting Majority Rule in Ohio and Supporting Wisconsin Election Administrators.” The award recognizes our work in Ohio and Wisconsin to ensure that elections reflect the will of the people and that election administrators can safely do their jobs.