Resources

Maryland’s Constitution

Enabling Legislation for Maryland’s Nov. 2, 2010 Constitutional Convention Referendum

Efforts to Convene State Constitutional Conventions in Other States

Ohio (which has a con-con referendum in 2012)

Ohio House Speaker makes pitch to modernize constitution, Columbus Government Examiner, May 11, 2011

Voters First (Voters First is primarily focused on redistricting reform)

As reported in the Feb. 24, 2012 edition of the Midwest Democracy Network:
The League of Women Voters of Ohio, Common Cause Ohio, and Ohio Citizen Action have launched Voters First Ohio, a campaign to push for redistricting reform in the state. The group has begun collecting signatures, and seeks to have a measure on the ballot this November.

The coalition calls for a 12 member citizens commission to oversee redistricting, with equal numbers of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. Communities would see fair representation in the map, and all map meetings and negotiations would be held publicly. Read more of the highlights of the commission on the Voters First Ohio website.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer picked up the story, and also discussed how current politicians might play a role. The state Speaker of the House has shown support for redistricting reform through a constitutional convention, while Secretary of State Jon Husted says that reformers and elected officials must come together to find the best way forward. The Toledo Blade ran an editorial in support of remap reform, saying that whether it is done via a constitutional convention or a constitutional amendment ballot initiative, change will and should come. [Note that unlike what’s reported here, a constitutional modernization commission is not actually a constitutional convention. A constitutional modernization commission is a top-down, incumbent driven process, whereas a state con-con is a bottom-up, citizen driven process.]