In November, Ohioans have the chance to make their voices heard in redistricting plans for the state – currently a privilege given solely to elected officials. Issue 1, led by Citizens Not Politicians, aims to establish a non-governmental commission to draw state legislative and congressional districts.
An affirmative vote on Issue 1 will help to ensure fairness in line drawing, promote districts that represent the state and allow Ohio to join the states already combating gerrymandering.
The independent commission will be made up of a group of 15 bipartisan citizens: five Democrats, five Republicans and five independents – ensuring different voices and perspectives are heard and taken into account when drawing Ohio’s districts. The citizens will be screened by a bipartisan group of judges that will evaluate their commitment to impartiality, relevant experiences and skills, conflicts of interest and party affiliation, according to Ballotpedia.
By requiring nine of 15 commissioners, including two of each party, to be in favor of the redistricting plan, Ohio will have a more unbiased and fairly drawn map.
The citizens selected will also have far less biased intentions than the current Ohio Redistricting Commission. Because they aren’t politicians working toward a direct goal of re-election, they have no incentive to engage in partisan gerrymandering.
Although the regulations of the commission and citizens on it ensure fairness, a key requirement of the ballot measure will hold them accountable to create districts that represent Ohio’s partisan preferences.
Issue 1 says, “the statewide proportion of districts … that favors each political party shall correspond closely to the statewide partisan preferences of the voters of Ohio.”
This crucial requirement will reduce the presence of gerrymandering as the proportion of Ohio voters that prefer a certain party will align with the proportion of districts that also prefer that party. It will also improve the understanding of Ohio’s voting tendencies locally, statewide and nationally.
Ohio is not the first state to vote on an amendment to curb the effects of gerrymandering.
Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Michigan, Montana, New York and Washington have existing independent commissions that draw state and federal district lines. In all nine states, public officials and legislators are banned from serving on the commission, and some states regulate lobbyists, legislative staffers and commissioners’ ability to run for office in districts they drew.
The switch to an independent commission was well-received in Michigan, a state that also tends to be politically divided.
“It was generally open and transparent, avoided the pitfalls and gridlock that marred other commissions, and produced a fair map that better represents Michigan’s voters,” Ryan Williamson wrote for the R Street Institute.
Fair, independent commissions have successfully redrawn districts to accurately represent voter preferences of several states – and Ohio must establish one. Ohioans are allowing politicians to essentially choose their voters through gerrymandering, which harms not only both parties, but democracy as a whole.
Vote “yes” on Issue 1 to restore power to Ohioans.
Layne Rey is a junior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnist do not reflect those of The Post. What are your thoughts? Let Layne know by tweeting her @laynerey12.
