What is Ohio Edition 1? A deep dive into the redistricting amendment

Redistricting experts say Ohio's maps are currently among the most altered maps in the country. So should politicians choose their voters or should voters choose their politicians? That's the question constitutional amendment advocates say Ohio voters will decide on Issue 1 this November. But opponents, led by elected Republicans, say the proposal is a power grab by Democrats.

What would issue 1 do?

Issue 1 would abolish the Ohio Redistricting Commission, which consists of the governor, comptroller, secretary of state and four state legislators – two from each party. The change would create a 15-member panel of Republicans, Democrats and independents chosen by retired judges to craft legislative and congressional agendas. Politicians and lobbyists would be prohibited from participating in this body.

The Ohio Citizens Redistricting Commission's maps would be drawn based on a proportionality formula that closely matches the results of the last six statewide elections. If approved, that would be the results of statewide elections in 2018, 2020 and 2024. Some other states have similar citizen-run commissions.

Daniel Konik

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Statehouse News Bureau

How would the 15-member board work?

The Ohio Citizens Redistricting Commission would begin with the two Republicans and two Democrats on the Ohio Ballot Board each nominating four retired judges to select commission members. The election board would select four judges from this field of eight. The justices would hire an independent search firm to solicit applications for membership on the commission. Candidates' voting records in primaries, political donations and campaign activities are used to determine their party status.

This recruiting firm will create a pool of 90 qualified applicants — 30 Republicans, 30 Democrats and 30 Independents — “who together form a geographically and demographically representative cross-section of Ohio.” After a public comment period, the pool will be cut in half, but still with even partisan representation. Six commissioners will be randomly selected in a public meeting. These six will then select the other nine members of the committee in a public meeting.

The amendment requires the actual map-making process to include five public meetings prior to publication of draft maps, five hearings on the draft maps, and two hearings on any changes to the draft maps. Final maps must be publicly released at least three days before approval by the board, at a meeting no later than September 19, 2025. Because maps are prepared for the future, they would need to be approved no later than July 15 of the year ending become one (for example July 15, 2031). At least nine commissioners — at least two Republicans, two Democrats and two independents — must vote for all maps. If no agreement is reached, each member ranks the proposed cards from most popular to least popular. The least popular plan is eliminated until only one plan remains.

Who is behind issue 1?

Issue 1 was created by Citizens Not Politicians, which is led by former Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor, a Republican. She joined the court's three Democrats in ruling that legislative and congressional maps approved by the Ohio Redistricting Commission were unconstitutionally gerrymandered seven times. These maps were introduced for the 2022 election after a federal court approved them. But public outcry against the trial led O'Connor and other critics to develop a different plan.

In July, Citizens Not Politicians submitted 731,306 petition signatures to place their proposal on the November ballot.

“This constitutional amendment will give power back to the people of Ohio and take it away from self-serving politicians and their lobbyist friends and big donors,” said O’Connor, who resigned from the court in 2022 over mandatory age limits.

Why do advocates say the change is necessary?

Republicans have dominated state government since the 1990s and now hold supermajorities in the Ohio House of Representatives and Senate, as well as all five of the state's executive offices and four of the seven seats on the Ohio Supreme Court. Those who support Issue 1 say the maps drawn by the Ohio Redistricting Commission favor Republicans because politicians didn't follow the required process. But Republican leaders said they did the will of voters.

Ohio Works, a Republican-backed group, is leading the charge against Issue 1. Ohio Works spokesman Matt Dole said the campaign understands the frustration with the process, which has resulted in maps being declared unconstitutional by the court seven times in 2021 and 2022.

“We believe progress has been made. “We know there is still improvement, but we believe Issue 1 undoes the progress that has been made and is, frankly, a power grab by Democrats,” Dole said.

Leading the charge against Issue 1 was Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima), a key architect of the process that voters approved in 2015 and 2018. Gov. Mike DeWine also opposes it and has said he will work with him if voters reject him. Lawmakers should create a plan similar to Iowa's that uses an independent legislative services agency.

Jo Ingles

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Statehouse News Bureau

Dispute over voting language in Issue 1

In August, the Republican-dominated Ohio Ballot Board, led by Secretary of State Frank LaRose, approved a three-page summary that will be shown to voters when they cast their ballots. It said the change would “require gerrymandering” and deprive accountability. Citizens, not politicians, and Democrats on the board sued for changes, saying the summary language was a partisan power play to “mislead voters.” Republicans on the Ohio Supreme Court upheld most of the language.

Read the amendment Here.

Read the election committee's summary Here.

The Board of Elections has been sued four times over the ballot language it approved – three times in the last 16 months. Citizens, not politicians, said the partisanship in the election board and court ruling was evidence the change was necessary.

See a timeline of Ohio's redistricting saga Here.

What does my “yes” or “no” vote mean?

A “yes” to point 1 would lead to the formation of the 15-member committee described above.

A “no” vote would reject the proposal and keep the current system in place.

Ohio has voted on redistricting several times

Issue 1 marks the seventh time in 58 years that Ohioans have been asked to make changes to redistricting. In 1967, voters approved the creation of an apportionment board consisting of the governor, secretary of state, comptroller, and two legislative appointees to draw maps for legislative districts, with maps for Congress being drawn by the General Assembly . The board was controlled by Democrats in 1971 and 1981 and then by Republicans in 1991 and 2001 – and each time the maps were drawn in favor of the ruling party. In 1981, an amendment was made to reject proposals for an independent redistricting commission by voters in 1981, 2004 and 2012. In 2015, voters approved the Ohio Redistricting Commission to draw maps for state legislatures, and in 2018 they required lawmakers to draw maps for Congress with the Ohio Redistricting Commission as a backup.