One of the people who successfully sued and won the landmark Ohio Supreme Court ruling that declared the maps for Ohio House and Senate districts are unconstitutional and must be redrawn is State Representative hopeful Bria Bennett (D), Trumbull County.

Bennett herself, along with the League of Women Voters of Ohio and the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, successfully sued the Ohio Redistricting Commission led by Governor Mike DeWine, Secretary of State Frank LaRose, Auditor of State Keith Faber, Speaker of the House Robert Cupp and President of the Senate Matthew Huffman. Those Republicans were joined on the committee by Democratic lawmakers House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes and State Senator Vernon
Sykes.

The court ruled in a 4-3 majority that the commission violated Article XI Section 6A of the Ohio Constitution, that no plan shall be drawn primarily to favor or disfavor a political party. They also ruled the maps did not meet the required proportionality in Article XI, Section 6B of the Constitution.

“While the struck down maps made my district solidly blue, I viewed that as a loss for voter choice," she said. "Trumbull County is a great reflection of Ohio. This state and county are battlegrounds and the maps should reflect that. We don’t know what new districts hold yet but the the Supreme Court and Ohio’s voters have given clear guidelines for this process. It’s time for the GOP majority on the commission to listen to their constituents. We should have never ended up in court.“

Bennett, who is black, feels the proposed districts left her feeling unable to connect with the community she currently resides in, and she believes the ruling will give her a better connection to the separate district she is running in along with her current one.

"One of those uncommon features is definitely race," Bennett said. "I was in District 13 and am now in District 6 which encompasses Warren, Athens, and some towns down on the border of West Virginia. When you look at it, my vote and somebody's on the border of West Virginia have different directions. These gerrymandered districts and the current process of creating them? That process should be obliterated."

She thinks that the state can find a different way to draw district maps, and expand current voters' rights.

"There's always more that we can be doing on the state level. Here in Ohio we can improve our voter's rights, we need to have the Monday before Election Day available for early voting."

Bennett is only in her twenties, but also believes that by fighting in a case that ultimately ruled in favor of Ohio residents, se has set a precedent for what she might be able to do for Ohio voters. 

"This is great proof that I am going to fight for my community and all of Ohio," Bennett said.

Over the summer, Bennett announced she would be running for the Ohio Statehouse representing the 64th District in the seat currently held by Michael O'Brien who is pulling to run in the democratic seat for Trumbull County Commissioner. O'Brien is being outed of the statehouse by term limit rules.

Previously, Bennett worked as an organizer for the presidential campaign of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Former Mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg. She was also the deputy campaign manager for Judge Cynthia Rice's bid for Ohio Supreme Court.