Ohio voters to decide on redistricting reform with Issue 1

Farah Siddiqi

In the swing state of Ohio, voters will soon decide the fate of State Issue 1, a proposal to establish a 15-member citizens' redistricting commission to draw the state's political maps.

Backers of the measure said it is intended to reduce gerrymandering, or changing voting-district boundaries to favor one political party. But a key controversy surrounds the ballot language, which now includes the word "gerrymander." The change was permitted by Ohio's Supreme Court.

Annette Tucker Sutherland, chair of the Shaker Heights Chapter of the League of Women Voters, which supports the measure, argued the wording misrepresents the proposal's true intent.

"I'm out here trying to urge everybody to ban gerrymandering in Ohio," Sutherland emphasized. "I never in my life thought I'd be telling people, 'Don't read carefully what's on the ballot and then vote.'"

Supporters like Sutherland want to change how the voting district maps are drawn. Under the current system, state lawmakers draw the lines, often favoring the party in power. Issue 1 would shift the responsibility to a 15-member citizens' commission, aiming to take politics out of the process, although some opponents question whether the new approach could truly eliminate political influence.

Gov. Mike DeWine, along with other critics of the measure, argued it could have the opposite effect. DeWine believes Issue 1 would introduce more politics into the redistricting process rather than remove them.

"State Issue 1 sounds great but it is the ultimate in gerrymandering," DeWine alleged. "I think people are sick of having politics as part of it. State Issue 1 demands that politics be included in this. It's not right."

At the heart of the debate is who gets to draw Ohio's legislative and congressional district maps. Issue 1 would place this power in the hands of a commission made up of Ohioans with no political ties.