Redistricting experts say Ohio’s maps are currently among the most gerrymandered in the country. So should politicians choose their voters or should voters choose their politicians? That’s the question proponents of a constitutional amendment say Ohio voters will decide with Issue 1 in November. But opponents, led by Republican elected officials, say the proposal is a power grab by Democrats.

What would number 1 do?

Issue 1 would eliminate the Ohio Redistricting Commission, made up of the governor, auditor, secretary of state and four state legislators — two from each party. The amendment would create a 15-member panel of Republicans, Democrats and independents selected by retired judges to draw the legislative and congressional maps. Politicians and lobbyists should no longer be part of that panel.

The Ohio Citizens Redistricting Commission maps would be drawn based on a proportionality formula that closely follows the results of the last six statewide elections. If approved, it would determine the outcome of statewide elections in 2018, 2020 and 2024. Similar citizen-led commissions are used in some other states.

Daniel Konik

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State News Agency

How would the 15-member panel work?

The Ohio Citizens Redistricting Commission would start with the two Republicans and two Democrats on the Ohio Ballot Board each nominating four retired judges to select commission members. The polling station would select four judges from that field of eight. The judges would hire an independent search firm to solicit applications to join the commission. Candidates’ voting behavior in primaries, political donations and campaign activities will be used to determine their party political status.

That search firm will create a pool of 90 qualified candidates — 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 there will still be even partisan representation. During a public meeting, six commissioners will be selected through a random drawing. Those six will then select the remaining nine members of the panel in a public meeting.

The amendment requires that the actual map drawing process include five public meetings before the draft maps are released, five hearings on the draft maps, and two hearings on any changes to the draft maps. The final maps must be released publicly at least three days before the panel approves them, in a meeting no later than September 19, 2025. As the maps are drawn in the future, they must be approved no later than July 15 of the year ending on (e.g. July 15, 2031). At least nine commissioners – at least two Republicans, two Democrats and two independents – must vote for each map. If there is no agreement, each member ranks the proposed cards from most to least favorite. The least popular plan would be eliminated until there is only one plan left.

Who is behind number 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 had been unconstitutionally gerrymandered seven times. Those maps were drawn up for the 2022 election after a federal court allowed them to be drawn up. But the public outcry against the trial prompted O’Connor and other critics to come up with a different plan.

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

“This constitutional amendment will restore power to the citizens of Ohio and take it away from the selfish politicians and their lobbying friends and big money donors,” said O’Connor, who retired from the court in 2022 over mandatory age limits.

Why do proponents say the change is necessary?

Since the 1990s, Republicans have dominated state government and now hold supermajorities in the Ohio House and Senate, as well as in 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 the politicians did not follow the prescribed process. However, Republican leaders said they did the will of the voters.

Ohio Works, a Republican-backed group, is leading the charge on Issue 1. Ohio Works spokesman Matt Dole said the campaign understands the frustration with the process that led to maps being unconstitutionally approved by the court seven times in 2021 and 2022.

“We think progress has been made. We know there are still improvements, but we think #1 throws away the progress that has been made and, frankly, is a power grab by the Democrats,” Dole said.

The charge on Issue 1 has been led by Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima), a chief architect of the process that voters approved in 2015 and 2018. Gov. Mike DeWine is also opposed and has said that if voters reject it, he will work with lawmakers to craft a plan similar to Iowa’s that would use an independent legislative office.

Jo Ingles

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State News Agency

Battle for number 1’s voice language

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

Read the text of the amendment here.

Read the summary language of the voting board here.

The voting board has been sued four times over the language it approved – three times in the last 16 months. Citizens Not Politians said the partisanship at the polling place and the court’s ruling are evidence that the amendment is needed.

See a timeline of Ohio’s redistricting saga here.

What does my ‘yes’ or ‘no’ vote mean?

A “yes” vote on Issue 1 would lead to the creation of the 15-member panel outlined above.

A “no” vote would reject the proposal and maintain the current system.

Ohio has voted on redistricting several times

Issue 1 represents 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 – the governor, secretary of state, auditor and two legislative appointees – to create maps of legislative districts, with congressional maps 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 map was drawn in favor of the party in charge. An amendment was submitted in 1981. In 1981, 2004 and 2012, proposals for an independent redistricting commission were rejected by voters. In 2015, voters approved the Ohio Redistricting Commission to draw state legislature maps, and in 2018 they required lawmakers to draw congressional maps with the Ohio Redistricting Commission as a backup.