COLUMBUS – Members of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus defended state Issue 1 on Tuesday as a means to give all people in Ohio a greater voice in their government and pushed back on the argument it would hurt black representation in the statehouse.
“We are here to set the record straight and debunk some of the misinformation and the myths about Issue 1 disenfranchising Black voters,” said Rep. Terrence Upchurch, the caucus president and a Cleveland Democrat.
“That is absolutely a false claim and it’s inaccurate,” Upchurch said. “It’s funny how all of a sudden there’s an overwhelming concern for Black disenfranchisement when we are working with a supermajority who has increased voter suppression laws, made it more difficult to vote and has also made stricter voting ID restrictions. That is how you disenfranchise black voters.”…