The redistricting proposal that could change Ohio politics

A proposed constitutional amendment on Ohio's 2024 ballot would permanently change the way congressional districts are drawn in the state.

The proposal, titled “Issue 1,” calls for the creation of a 15-member citizen redistricting commission — made up of Democrats, Republicans and independents — to draw district maps. Current and former politicians, political party officials and lobbyists would be banned from serving on the commission, and attempts to redistrict to favor one political party or lawmaker would be unconstitutional.

“Ohioans have lived with partisan political movements for more than 80 years,” said the Rev. Terry Williams, an ordained minister and organizer with Faith Choice Ohio, a religious advocacy group that supports abortion rights. “Both parties have manipulated our state in different ways at different times, and every time you draw rigged maps, one thing always happens: our politicians are less accountable to the people they are supposed to serve.”

Members of the current Redistricting Commission are appointed by the governor, secretary of state and comptroller, along with the majority and minority leaders in the Statehouse. Of those, only two are Democrats.

In comparison, Issue 1 would require an open application process for Commission membership. A search panel of two Republican and two Democratic retired judges — each selected by legislative members of the Ohio Ballot Board — would review and select applicants.

While there is currently no poll on what Ohio voters think about Issue 1, other proposals have shown that voters in the state are more liberal when voting on ballot initiatives. For example, Baldwin Wallace University polls show that 58 percent of voters supported enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution and 57 percent supported legalizing recreational marijuana. In Ohio, only a simple majority, or just over 50 percent of voters, is required to pass amendments.

Ohio is considered one of the “most gerrymandered states” in the country, along with Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas. Research from the Brennan Center found that 9 million Ohioans — about 77 percent of the state's population — live in districts that lack electoral competition in electing state representative. In half of them there was no primary competition. Redistricting maps created by the Ohio Redistricting Commission have been repeatedly declared unconstitutional and rejected by the state Supreme Court.

Issue 1 was submitted to the Secretary of State's Office with over 700,000 signatures – nearly 60 percent more than needed to get on the state ballot – and received support from Citizens Not Politicians, the American Civil Liberties Union, the League of Women Voters and the labor union Organizations like AFSCME and SEIU.

Reverend Williams specifically highlighted anti-abortion measures as an example of Ohio political leaders' disregard for voters. “At Faith Choice Ohio, we know that Ohioans do not support abortion bans, unnecessary restrictions on abortion providers, and laws that make life more difficult for those seeking abortions.” If Issue 1 is approved, the pastor and his colleagues hope “for an Ohio where “Lawmakers stop harassing abortion seekers and start supporting them,” he said. “We believe fairness is important and gerrymandering is unholy.”

The Ohio GOP, which controls the statehouse, state Supreme Court and governor's office, opposes the change. In March, the press secretary for the Ohio Senate Majority Caucus called it an “overly complex, hair-brained and radical plan” that would “establish a citizens' commission to replace your elected representative.” Gov. Mike DeWine claimed the proposal would actually make gerrymandering worse. “If this amendment were passed, Ohio would actually have a system that requires — that forces — mapmakers to draw districts using group gerrymandering.”