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What is Ohio Edition 1? Your questions answered

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What is Ohio Edition 1? Your questions answered

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Do you have questions about Ohio Issue 1?

The USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau examined some frequently asked questions about the proposed constitutional amendment that would replace Ohio's current way of drawing congressional and state legislative districts.

Ohio Issue 1 2024: What is that? Would it stop gerrymandering?

What does a “yes” vote on Ohio Topic 1 mean?

A “yes” vote would create a 15-member citizen commission to draw congressional and state districts. The commission would include five independents and five members from each of the two leading political parties, which are currently Republicans and Democrats.

Members of the commission cannot be elected officials, lobbyists, campaign staff or other people closely connected to politics. Four retired judges (two Republicans and two Democrats) and a professional search firm would narrow down the applicants. The public would also have the opportunity to have their say.

The commission would follow new rules for drawing maps. The focus is on maps that largely reflect how Ohioans voted in statewide elections. Maps must keep communities of interest together, but there is no limit to how many times a county or city can be shared.

More: Ohio politician and Jim Harbaugh? Issue 1 supporters say both are cheating in a new redistricting ad

What does a “no” mean on Ohio Topic 1?

With “No” the status quo would remain in place. Under current rules approved by voters in 2015 and 2018, Ohio lawmakers draw the congressional map and a seven-member Ohio Redistricting Commission draws the state House and Senate maps.

The commission includes three statewide elected officials (governor, comptroller and secretary of state) and four legislators. Since the three statewide leaders are currently Republicans, the GOP has a five-to-two edge on this commission.

During the last redistricting cycle, Republicans on the Ohio Redistricting Commission approved several maps over Democrats' objections. The Ohio Supreme Court rejected the maps seven times and postponed the primaries for statehouse candidates until August 2022. Then-Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor, a Republican, sided with the Democratic justices in several 4-3 decisions .

Ultimately, the new leadership of the Ohio Supreme Court agreed to the state's congressional plan after the 2022 election, and Democrats signed a GOP plan for state legislative plans.

How much would it cost if Issue 1 was successful?

Item 1 requires the Legislature to allocate $7 million in 2025 to fund the search firm, commissioners, retired judge review board and litigation. This number would be adjusted for inflation in the future.

Commissioners earn $125 a day and retired judges receive the same daily rate as appeals court judges.

Would the public have influence on the redistribution?

Issue 1 would make several changes to improve transparency in redistricting:

  • Ohioans would be able to comment on candidates for the Citizens Commission through a public comment portal and by observing candidates' interviews. The retired jury would consider these comments before selecting the finalists.
  • The commission members would be selected in a public meeting. Retired judges randomly selected the first six commission members, then those six selected the remaining nine members.
  • The commission would be required to hold five public meetings statewide to receive initial information on how maps should be created, five public meetings after the draft maps are released, and at least two public meetings after any changes are made. There must be a two week lead time for the initial meetings and a minimum three day lead time for the revision review meetings.
  • The commission would prepare a report on the final maps and explain how it used public comments to develop its redistricting plans.

Opponents of Issue 1 say removing elected officials from redistricting reduces transparency because commission members cannot be voted out. And commission members could not receive input on redistricting plans outside of public meetings.

“Issue one would create an unelected commission of bureaucrats who are unaccountable to voters,” said Alex Triantafilou, chairman of the Ohio Republican Party.

Proponents of Issue 1 say elected officials were not transparent when they drew maps behind closed doors and held last-minute votes without public participation during the last redistricting cycle.

Ohio Issue 1: How other states have handled redistricting and what Ohio can learn from it

Why do both sides say they will end gerrymandering?

First, let's define our term: Gerrymandering is drawing districts to give one political party an undeserved advantage over the other.

Proponents of Issue 1 say their measure will curb gerrymandering by cutting self-interested politicians from the process and requiring that maps closely match how Ohioans vote in statewide elections. (Ohio voters approved similar anti-gerrymandering language in 2015 and 2018, but the current redistricting commission of elected officials decided it was “ambitious” or less important than other rules.)

Proponents of Issue 1 say Ohio's current maps give Republicans an undeserved advantage. For example, former Republican President Donald Trump won Ohio with 53% of the vote in 2020. Yet Republicans hold 67% of the seats in Congress, 68% of the seats in the Ohio House of Representatives, and 79% of the seats in the Ohio Senate.

Opponents of Issue 1, including Gov. Mike DeWine, say the voting language would dictate a specific outcome by requiring maps to match (or fairly close to) statewide voting preferences. Republicans on the Ohio Supreme Court agreed.

“What these rules require falls within the meaning of 'gerrymander,'” the Ohio Supreme Court wrote in a 4-3 decision on the ballot language. “They task the new commission with drawing district lines that give a political advantage to an identifiable group — Republicans in some districts and Democrats in others.”

The result: Yes to problem 1. The signs say that “gerrymandering should be banned.” “No to Issue 1” billboards claim they will “end gerrymandering.” A federal judge ruled in 2014 that the state would not police political lies. So it's up to voters to decide which side curbs gerrymandering.

Election 2024: The Ohio Chamber of Commerce opposes the redistricting measure on item 1

Is this a Democratic power grab?

Opponents of Issue 1, including Trump and the Ohio Republican Party, have called the Ohio ballot measure a Democratic power grab. They point to Issue 1’s donors and supporters as evidence.

In terms of fundraising, the biggest donors to Citizens Not Politicians, the Issue 1 campaign, are progressive groups like the Sixteen Thirty Fund and Our American Future Foundation, as well as Article IV, which have pushed for ranked-choice voting in other states.

The Ohio Democratic Party and unions such as the AFL-CIO, OAPSE-AFSCME and the Ohio Education Association support Issue 1, which is expected to improve Democratic candidates' chances at the ballot box.

Citizens Not Politicians says their measure is supported by Republicans, independents and Democrats alike. To get on the ballot, the group collected more than 730,000 signatures in all 88 counties — not just liberal parts of the state. On Tuesday, the Libertarian Party of Ohio endorsed Issue 1.

“Citizens Not Politicians is a diverse, nationwide, nonpartisan grassroots movement,” said spokesman Chris Davey. “This is not a Democratic or Republican issue. This is an issue that affects all Ohioans.”

Will Issue 1 disenfranchise black voters?

Opponents of Issue 1 say the proposed changes will make it harder to elect Black representatives. They point to problems with Michigan's independent commission, which faced a lawsuit over drawing districts in Detroit based on race.

Former Reps. John Barnes of Cleveland and Dale Mallory of Cincinnati oppose Issue 1 because they say it would reduce black representation in Columbus and Washington, DC. Ohio currently has three Black members of Congress, representing Akron, Cleveland and Columbus.

More: Ohio voters wanted redistricting. They were given unconstitutional tickets

However, the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus, the NAACP, the Ohio Unity Coalition, and the Ohio Organizing Collaborative have all endorsed Issue 1.

“I can say with confidence that this would not disadvantage Black representation,” said Rep. Terrence Upchurch, a Cleveland Democrat and president of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus. “This is probably just a last-ditch effort to prevent the problem (Issue 1) and I don’t think it will be successful.”

Full text of Ohio Edition 1 in 2024

Read the proposed constitutional amendment for yourself:

Jessie Balmert covers state government and politics for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

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