Ohio Issue 1: What is it, who is for it, and who is against it?

OHIO — As Ohioans head to the polls this election season, a topic of discussion is Issue 1, a proposed constitutional amendment to overhaul the state’s redistricting process.

Both sides on the issue claim to ultimately end gerrymandering. Yard signs for Issue 1 read “Ban gerrymandering” while those against Issue 1 read “Stop gerrymandering.”

The early voting window closes on Sunday, November 3. Election Day is Tuesday, November 5.

What is gerrymandering?

Gerrymandering is dividing or arranging a territorial unit into election districts that give one political party an advantage in elections. The term originated on March 26, 1812, in the Boston Gazette as a reaction to the redrawing of Massachusetts state senate election districts under Gov. Elbridge Gerry.

If Issue 1 is passed

Issue 1 would eliminate the Ohio Redistricting Commission and create a 15-member panel of five Democrats, five Republicans, and five Independents selected by retired Democratic and Republican judges. The panel would not have ties to politics or politicians.

Mapmakers would create maps that would closely correspond to recent statewide election results. If a certain party wins 55% of the vote in Ohio, 55% of Ohio’s seats should lean toward that party. This is also known as proportionality, which makes districts more competitive.

Led by Citizens Not Politicians, the amendment seeks to replace the current system with a new method for drawing electoral district lines, responding to ongoing concerns about gerrymandering.

The Ohio Redistricting Commission

The current redistricting process involves the Ohio Redistricting Commission. It was established in 2015 by adding Article 11 to the Ohio Constitution, introducing the process of producing maps for the General Assembly.

Ohio State Senator and Lima native Matt Huffman led bi-partisan efforts to reform the way Ohio’s congressional and state legislative districts are drawn and believes the current system works. “When allowed to work in the summer of 2023, (the redistricting process) did work,” he said in a March 2024 article regarding redistricting reforms by Susan Tebben with the Ohio Capital Journal.

In 2018, more than 74 percent of voters approved Article 19, creating the process of producing congressional district maps in Ohio.

The Commission comprises the governor, the auditor, the secretary of state, and four individuals appointed by the senate president, the speaker of the house, the senate minority leader, and the house minority leader.

Secretary of State Frank LaRose, Republican, explained what the Democrats aim to do with Issue 1 while in Lima on Oct. 4. “Issue 1 is a power grab by the Democrats. They can’t win at the ballot box because Ohio has rejected their bad, tired, dangerous old idea, and because they can’t win at the ballot box, they want to control how district lines are drawn,” he said.

LaRose also mentioned fundraising. “$26 million has been raised by Democrats, 85% of which comes from out-of-state, including $6 million from a Swiss billionaire towards Issue 1,” he said.

State Auditor Keith Faber, Republican, spoke against Issue 1 in Lima on Oct. 11. “Follow the money,” he said. “Explain 25 million dollars of dark money, special interest money that they’re blowing through the airwaves trying to convince people to vote yes is not from Ohio,” he said. “It’s all about changing the rules,” he said.

Ohio’s 99 House districts, 33 Senate districts, and 15 Congressional districts must be redrawn every 10 years following the U.S. Census to reflect the most recent Census results.

Despite this framework, the Ohio Supreme Court has rejected several redistricting plans as unconstitutional. Despite being deemed unconstitutional, the maps were still used after Republicans won a series of rulings. These rejections have fueled ongoing concerns about the effectiveness and fairness of the current system.

Citizens Not Politicians Campaign

Over 700,000 signatures have been submitted to the campaign.

According to a 30-second ad by the Citizens Not Politicians YouTube page, retired Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, Republican, states “Seven times, career politicians have so blatantly gerrymandered our voting district maps that Ohio Supreme Court ruled the maps unconstitutional seven times. I know because I was Chief Justice on that court. Then those same politicians lied about Issue 1. So let me set the record straight. Issue 1 bans politicians from drawing voting maps. It will restore power to where it belongs with citizens, not politicians. Vote yes,” she said.

Republicans, Democrats, and Independents back the campaign, according to the website.

For Issue 1

William Angel, Ph.D., University of Texas, 1978, Political Science professor at Ohio State-Lima and former Allen County Democratic Chair, believes the idea of redistricting did not become an issue in American politics until the 1960s when the Supreme Court issued rulings Baker v. Carr and Reynolds v. Sims, which forced states to reapportion their legislature and Congressional districts after each decennial census. According to Angel, it wasn’t until recently that the process became problematic. “Things went off the rails beginning with the 2020 census with Local Senator Matt Huffman orchestrating the process,” he said.

Lisa Robeson, League of Women Voters in the Lima area, explained that the most important thing the process will do is take the drawing of districts out of the hands of politicians. “Right now, the legislature in Ohio does not represent the peoples’ view. This can be changed when judges choose 15 members with no ties to politicians,” she said. Because of gerrymandering, districts are always safe for one party, according to Robeson. “The legislature doesn’t represent the people. Voices aren’t being heard,” she said. Robeson also touched on the complexity of the ballot language. The ballot language states, “Proposed constitutional amendment, to create an appointed redistricting commission not elected by or subject to removal by the state’s voters.” This language was deliberate and passed because Republicans outnumbered Democrats four to three, according to Robeson.

Rochelle Twining, Allen County Democrats Chair, believes in equality and fairness for everyone active in democracy. Over 750,000 people signed petitions circulated by volunteers to get the issue on the ballot, representing “citizen participation” according to Twining. “The current ballot language is extremely confusing. I want to see a process devoid of politics as possible,” she said. According to Twining, 42% of registered Ohio voters are Republican, and 40% are Democrats. It would be reasonably assumed that elected offices would be a similar proportion — but they’re not because “districts favor Republicans,” she said. “If you believe in basic fairness and justice, or the spirit of democracy, you would support Issue 1 by voting yes,” she said.

Against Issue 1

According to a March 2024 article about Matt Huffman and redistricting reforms by Susan Tebben with the Ohio Capital Journal, he was quoted saying, “The litigation is going to be extraordinary,” when discussing the Citizens Not Politicians ballot initiative.

Chief Deputy Allen County Auditor’s Office, Keith Cheney, provided his opinion on Issue 1. “Under current rules, elected officials draw the line,” he said. “If you vote yes for Issue 1, there will be no elected officials and the amendment states they can request and receive any funding they deem necessary to draw lines, which is an open checkbook on the taxpayer’s back which is absolutely absurd,” he said. According to Cheney, individuals voted by the people are accountable for the issue. “The accountability should be on elected officials who are voted for by the people in the State of Ohio,” he said.

Chairman of the Ohio Republican Party, Alex Triantafilou, said “Issue 1 is a scam and a lie perpetrated by the far left to win elections that they otherwise cannot win in this state,” said Triantafilou. “They’re the ones doing the gerrymandering. The line drawers will look at partisanship alone,” he said. “They started losing elections in states just like Ohio. This is one of the ways they’re trying to change the rules to win elections,” Triantafilou said.

The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), Ohio’s leading small business advocacy organization, believes there will be no accountability within the new commission. “Issue 1 establishes a non-elected, 15-member commission that has no accountability to its voters as its members are only subject to removal by their fellow commissioners,” said Chris Ferruso, NFIB Ohio State Director.

Reach Cade Higgins at 567-242-0351