Ohio redistricting amendment short on signatures

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio's top elections official says a voter group has failed to get the thousands of signatures needed in its effort to get a redistricting question on November ballots.

Secretary of State Jon Husted on Wednesday said the Voters First coalition was more than 130,000 signatures shy of the roughly 385,000 valid signatures needed to get the proposed constitutional amendment before voters.

The group has until July 28 to make up the signature difference.

The proposal aims to take away elected officials' power to draw legislative and congressional districts. It would put district mapmaking in the hands of a 12-person citizen commission.

The state alters legislative and U.S. House district boundaries every 10 years to reflect population shifts. New maps were put in place for this year's elections.