Ohio Issue 1: Will it end gerrymandering? Top FAQs answered (2024)

Do you have questions about Ohio Issue 1?

The USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau examined a few common 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 it? Would it stop gerrymandering?

What does a 'yes' vote on Ohio Issue 1 mean?

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

Commission members cannot be elected officials, lobbyists, campaign staffers or others closely connected to politics. Four retired judges (two Republicans and two Democrats) and a professional search firm would narrow down applicants. The public would also have a chance to weigh in.

The commission would follow new rules for drawing maps. There's an emphasis on maps closely corresponding to how Ohioans vote in statewide elections. Maps must keep communities of interest together but there's no limit on how often a county or city could be divided.

More:Ohio politicians and Jim Harbaugh? Issue 1 backers say both cheat in new redistricting ad

What does a 'no' vote on Ohio Issue 1 mean?

A "no" vote would keep the status quo 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 state House and Senate maps.

The commission includes three statewide elected officials (governor, auditor and secretary of state) and four lawmakers. Because the three statewide politicians are currently Republicans, the GOP holds a five-two advantage on this commission.

During the most recent redistricting cycle, Republicans on the Ohio Redistricting Commission approved several maps over the objections of Democrats. The Ohio Supreme Court rejected the maps seven times, delaying the primary for Statehouse candidates until August 2022. Then-Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor, a Republican, sided with Democratic justices in multiple 4-3 decisions.

Ultimately, new leadership on the Ohio Supreme Court after the 2022 election OK'd the state's congressional map and Democrats signed onto a GOP plan for state legislative maps.

How much would it cost if Issue 1 passes?

Issue 1 requires lawmakers to set aside $7 million to pay for the search firm, commission members, retired judges' screening panel and litigation in 2025. This number would be adjusted for inflation going forward.

Commission members will make $125 per day and the retired judges will earn the same per diem as appeals court judges.

Would the public have input into redistricting?

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

  • Ohioans could weigh in on applicants for the citizen commission via a public comment portal and by watching applicants' interviews. The retired judges' panel would review those comments before selecting finalists.
  • Commission members would be selected at a public meeting. Retired judges would pick the first six commission members, at random, then those six would select the remaining nine members.
  • The commission would need to hold five public meetings across the state for initial input on how maps should be drawn, five public meetings after draft maps are released and at least two public meetings after any changes. There must be two weeks' notice for the first meetings and at least three days notice for the meetings reviewing revisions.
  • The commission would compile a report on the final maps, explaining how they used public comment to craft their redistricting plans.

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

“Issue One would create an unelected commission of bureaucrats that are completely unaccountable to voters,” Ohio Republican Party Chairman Alex Triantafilou said.

Proponents of Issue 1 say elected officials weren't transparent when they crafted maps behind closed doors and held last-minute votes without public input during the last redistricting cycle.

Ohio Issue 1:How other states have dealt with redistricting and what Ohio can learn

Why are both sides saying they will end gerrymandering?

Let's first define our term: Gerrymandering draws districts to give one political party an unearned advantage over the other.

Issue 1 backers say their measure will curb gerrymandering by removing self-interested politicians from the process and requiring the maps closely correspond to 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 "aspirational" or less important than other rules.)

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

Issue 1 opponents, including Gov. Mike DeWine, say the ballot language would prescribe a specific outcome by requiring maps to match statewide voting preferences (or come pretty close). 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 over ballot language. "They mandate the new commission draw district boundaries that give a political advantage to an identifiable group − Republicans in some districts and Democrats in others."

The result: Yes on Issue 1 yard signs say they will "ban gerrymandering." No on Issue 1 yard signs contend they will "end gerrymandering." A federal judge ruled in 2014 that the state won't police political lies. So, it is up to voters to decide which side will curb gerrymandering.

Election 2024:Ohio Chamber of Commerce opposes Issue 1 redistricting measure

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 backers as evidence.

Looking at fundraising, the top donors to Citizens Not Politicians, the campaign for Issue 1, are progressive groups like the Sixteen Thirty Fund and Our American Future Foundation and Article IV, which has advocated for ranked-choice voting in other states.

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

Ohio Issue 1: Will it end gerrymandering? Top FAQs answered (2)

Citizens Not Politicians says their measure has support from Republicans, independents and Democrats alike. To make the ballot, the group collected more than 730,000 signatures from 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, statewide, grassroots, nonpartisan movement," spokesman Chris Davey said. "This is not a Democrat or Republican issue. This is an issue that affects all Ohioans."

Ohio Issue 1: Will it end gerrymandering? Top FAQs answered (3)

Will Issue 1 disenfranchise Black voters?

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

Former state 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, D.C. Ohio currently has three Black congresswomen representing Akron, Cleveland and Columbus.

Ohio Issue 1: Will it end gerrymandering? Top FAQs answered (4)

More:Ohio voters wanted redistricting reform. They got unconstitutional maps

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

"I can say with confidence that this would not disenfranchise 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 it (Issue 1) from passing, which I don't think will be successful."

Full text of Ohio Issue 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.

Ohio Issue 1: Will it end gerrymandering? Top FAQs answered (2024)
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