OPINION: Is Ohio’s new gerrymandering amendment finally a chance at fair representation?

Photo via: w_lemay, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Jayson Smith, a Freshman studying Political Science, argues that the gerrymandering in Ohio has muddied the waters of voting fairness.

Throughout America’s history, numerous attempts have been made to disenfranchise citizens from their right to vote, as well as to silence the voices of voters in state and federal elections. Yesterday, it was poll taxes and literacy tests. Today, it is voter purging and districts drawn in favor of one political party. Gerrymandering is an issue that is so prominent in the state of Ohio that it consistently ranks among the most gerrymandered states in the country. So, the question remains, how does gerrymandering affect voters in Ohio and how will the new, citizen-led amendment solve this issue? 

To answer this question, we must look at why the current redistricting system just isn’t working. 

Ohio’s current redistricting commission consists of seven members: the governor, auditor of state, secretary of state, a speaker of the house appointee, a house minority leader appointee, a president of the senate appointee and a minority leader of the senate appointee. The members of this commission are heavily partisan, with five out of the total seven members currently being of the Republican party, compared to just two Democrats.

As one could imagine, when an overwhelmingly red redistricting committee draws lines for federal and state elections, their partisanship plays an important role in how exactly Ohio’s districts are drawn. After the Ohio Supreme Court repeatedly struck down multiple unconstitutional maps produced by the commission, a federal court finally ordered a set of the unfair district maps to be used for the 2022 midterm cycle. We have left the process of redistricting maps to our politicians, and they have proven time and time again that they are unable to provide Ohio voters with fair and just district lines. 

Elections are a tool voters can use to hold politicians accountable by enacting retrospective judgment. Gerrymandering takes away from this process because politicians in “safe seats” located in heavily gerrymandered districts do not have to answer to the electorate. 

These issues allowed for a sort of “silver lining” to form. Citizens Not Politicians, a citizen-led movement backed by the Brennan Center for Justice, recently garnered over 530,000 signatures in support of their new ballot measure, the upcoming Issue 1. Issue 1 would uproot the current commission responsible for gerrymandering in Ohio and reshape the way Ohio’s congressional and state legislative districts are drawn. Citizens Not Politicians’ efforts secured an amendment on the 2024 ballot that prevents the practice of gerrymandering in the state of Ohio.

The amendment aims to replace the current seven-member commission with a new 15-member citizen-led commission consisting of five Republicans, five Democrats, and five Independents. Additionally, there will be multiple hearings held before and after the maps are drawn, allowing for more transparency in the district-drawing process. Final drafts of the maps will be judged by yet another citizen-led commission, consisting of nine members and including at least two members of each major affiliation. According to the amendment text, there are strict qualifications to who can be on this commission. Those who have been in office or ran for one prior to six years before serving on the commission and even those who share ties with those who fall under these qualifications, are strictly forbidden from being on the redistricting commission.

Despite a Republican trifecta in state government, Ohio voters (especially in recent years) have consistently voted in favor of more progressive changes. Attempts are already being made to discredit and disqualify Citizens Not Politicians’ efforts to bring about this major change to Ohio’s redistricting standards. Regardless of political stance, we must collectively understand the threat that gerrymandering poses to our democracy. No matter what side of the aisle you are on, we should all stand strong in support of an amendment that will enshrine the voices of all voters and provide additional transparency in how our representatives are elected. A vote in favor of Issue 1 is a vote in favor of democracy.

Ohio voters have proven that we will not stand down when it comes to fighting back against politicians in our government pushing the limits of their power. This fall, when Ohio voters are given the decision to take back the power and create fair and just electoral districts for all, Ohioans will again not falter. Issue 1 is a major step in consolidating the power in the people, and it is far past time we place the power in the hands of the electors instead of the elected.

Please note that these views and opinions do not reflect those of The New Political.