What is Ohio Issue 1 on the ballot for November 5th 2024 really about? Republican propaganda says to vote ‘no’ or “hand Ohio to the Democrats”. Democratic propaganda says vote ‘yes’ to stop Republicans from “rigging the districts”. Both claim that voting in their favor would “end gerrymandering”. However, beyond the political rhetoric, what are the practical applications if the issue passes or fails?
Essentially, Ohio Issue 1 will decide which system Ohio uses to draw district lines for its two state legislative maps and one U.S. Congressional district map (view maps). Maps are redrawn every 10 years, on years ending in “1”, after the U.S. Census. Currently, maps must “correspond closely” with the statewide elections and party preferences. The proposed amendment would have similar provisions.
Across the nation, there are three major systems used to draw district lines and each system’s exact details vary per state.
Legislature Dominant: Used by ~60% of states. Ohio currently uses this to draw its U.S. Congressional maps. In Ohio, the state legislature draws and passes district maps, similar to other legislation.
Politician Commission: Used by ~10% of states. Ohio currently uses this to draw its 2 state legislature maps. In Ohio, the 7 member Ohio Redistricting Commission (ORC) is made up of: Ohio’s Governor, Auditor, Secretary, plus 2 Republican, and 2 Democrat appointees.
Non-Politician Commission: Used by ~14% of states. Ohio would use this if Issue 1 passes. The Citizens Redistricting Commission (CRC) would be 15 members: 5 Republicans, 5 Democrats, and 5 Independents. Ohio’s Ballot Board would initially select 4 retired judges (2 R, 2 D) to help select 6 initial commissioners, who would then select the remaining 9.
Defending Ohio’s current systems, Clinton County’s Republican Committee President, Jim Rankin, said, “the politician lead model, one of the pros is that we voted for them... that’s how a party gets power... that’s fair... There’s a reason why the majority of states use that [legislature dominant] system… They have to be voted in, they are to be held accountable by the American citizens.”
Defending Issue 1, Clinton County’s Democratic Committee President, Michael Allbright, said, “I support the non-politician system because of the way it’s divided and that it has no political representation.. It’s not active politicians doing it... they’ve [15 commissioners] got less skin in the game because they’re not trying to fight to keep them in power.”
During their conversation, Jim stressed the importance of “civil dialogue” and both parties working together. Michael suggested an improvement to the Politician Commission if Issue 1 fails is ensuring a 4:3 party split (it is currently 5:2)—an idea Jim agreed could be a “fair concession”.
Listen to their full conversation on episode 57 of The Real Change Podcast.
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