COLUMBUS, Ohio — For three and a half hours on Monday, Ohioans testified before the Joint Committee on Congressional Redistricting during its first public hearing at the Statehouse. They spoke out against gerrymandering and for fair maps.

"This isn't just about politics. It is about life and death," Rev. Dr. Aileen Maddox of Dayton testified.

"We should be talking about the process and not the fact that we're separate parties," Mindy Hedges of Delaware County testified. "We're just tired. We're so exhausted by this."

The committee is tasked with drawing a new political map for Ohio's 15 U.S. Congressional districts.

Many people testified in favor of the map proposed earlier this month by the Ohio House and Senate Democrats. It would create eight congressional districts that favor Repu

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