State Issue 1 - Redistricting

Ballot Icon Ballot Measure

FAILED

Result Icon Result

CONSERVATIVE

BALLOT LANGUAGE

To create an appointed redistricting commission not elected by or subject to removal by the voters of the state

Proposed Constitutional Amendment

Proposed by Initiative Petition

To repeal Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 of Article XI,

Repeal Sections 1, 2 and 3 of Article XIX,

And enact Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 of Article XX of the Constitution of the State of Ohio

The proposed amendment would:

  1. 1) Repeal constitutional protections against gerrymandering approved by nearly three-quarters of Ohio electors participating in the statewide elections of 2015 and 2018, and eliminate the longstanding ability of Ohio citizens to hold their representatives accountable for establishing fair state legislative and congressional districts.

    2. 2) Establish a new taxpayer-funded commission of appointees required to gerrymander the boundaries of state legislative and congressional districts to favor either of the two largest political parties in the state of Ohio, according to a formula based on partisan outcomes as the dominant factor, so that:

    A) Each district shall contain single-member districts that are geographically contiguous, but state legislative and congressional districts will no longer be required to be compact; and

    B) Counties, townships and cities throughout Ohio can be split and divided across multiple districts, and preserving communities of interest will be secondary to the formula that is based on partisan political outcomes.

    3) Require that a majority of the partisan commission members belong to the state’s two largest political parties.

    4) Prevent a commission member from being removed, except by a vote of their fellow commission members, even for incapacity, willful neglect of duty or gross misconduct.

    5) Prohibit any citizen from filing a lawsuit challenging a redistricting plan in any court, except if the lawsuit challenges the proportionality standard applied by the commission, requirements pertaining to an incumbent elected official’s residence, or the expiration of certain senators’ terms, and then only before the Ohio Supreme Court.

    6) Create the following process for appointing commission members: Four partisan appointees on the Ohio Ballot Board will choose a panel of 4 partisan retired judges (2 affiliated with the first major political party and 2 affiliated with the second major political party). Provide that the 4 legislative appointees of the Ohio Ballot Board would be responsible for appointing the panel members as follows: the Ballot Board legislative appointees affiliated with the same major political party would select 8 applicants and present those to the Ballot Board legislative appointees affiliated with the other major political party, who would then select 2 persons from the 8 for appointment to the panel, resulting in 4 panel appointees. The panel would then hire a private professional search firm to help them choose 6 of the 15 individuals on the commission. The panel will choose those 6 individuals by initially creating a pool of 90 individuals (30 from the first major political party, 30 from the second major political party, and 30 from neither the first nor second major political parties). The panel of 4 partisan retired judges will create a portal for public comment on the applicants and will conduct and publicly broadcast interviews with each applicant in the pool. The panel will then narrow the pool of 90 individuals down to 45 (15 from the first major political party; 15 from the second major political party; and 15 from neither the first nor second major political parties}. Randomly, by draw, the 4 partisan retired judges will then blindly select 6 names out of the pool of 45 to be members of the commission (2 from the first major political party; 2 from the second major political party; and 2 from neither the first nor second major political parties). The 6 randomly drawn individuals will then review the applications of the remaining 39 individuals not randomly drawn and select the final 9 individuals to serve with them on the commission, the majority of which shall be from the first and the second major political parties (3 from the first major political party, 3 from the second major political party, and 3 from neither the first nor second major political parties).

    7) Impose new taxpayer-funded costs on the State of Ohio to pay the commission members, the commission staff and appointed special masters, professionals, and private consultants that the commission is required to hire; and an unlimited amount for legal expenses incurred by the commission in any related litigation.

    8) Limit the right of Ohio citizens to freely express their opinions to members of the commission or to commission staff regarding the redistricting process or proposed redistricting plans, other than through designated meetings, hearings and an online public portal, and would forbid communication with the commission members and staff outside of those contexts.

    9) Require the commission to immediately create new legislative and congressional districts in 2025 to replace the most recent districts adopted by the citizens of Ohio through their elected representatives.

    10) Impose new taxpayer-funded costs on the State of Ohio to pay the commission members, the commission staff and appointed special masters, professionals, and private consultants that the commission is required to hire; and an unlimited amount for legal expenses incurred by the commission in any related litigation.

    If approved, the amendment will be effective 30 days after the election.

WHAT IT MEANS

Yes

A "Yes" vote means that you desire to amend the Ohio Constitution such that Articles XI and XIX dealing with redistricting are repealed and replaced with Article XX, which:

  • Removes accountability to the voters of Ohio by establishing a fifteen member taxpayer funded redistricting commission appointed by a bipartisan screening panel of four retired judges (two being affiliated with the first major party and two with the second major party) and by the initial six commissioners chosen by those judges. These judges are selected by the Ohio ballot board whose members are appointed by the general assembly. The redistricting commission shall consist of five members affiliated with the first major party, five with the second major party, and five independents, none of which may be elected officials.
  • Prevents removal of a commission member except by vote of their fellow commission members.
  • Forbids Ohio citizens from communicating with commissioners and staff regarding redistricting outside of designated public meetings or official communication portals.
  • Requires the commission to immediately create new legislative and congressional districts.
  • Allows for the division of counties and municipalities in order to meet the required number of seats per district.
  • Requires preservation of "communities of interest" in districts. These are areas "where the record before the commission demonstrates the existence of communities of people with broadly shared interests and representational needs, including, without limitation, interests and representational needs that arise from common ethnic, racial, social, cultural, geographic, environmental, socioeconomic, or historic identities or concerns".

No

A "No" vote means that you desire to keep the current redistricting system established in the Ohio Constitution in Articles XI and XIX, in which:

  • The redistricting commission is comprised of the governor, the auditor of state, the secretary of state, and four people appointed by legislative leadership.

ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST

Yes

“When politicians draw biased, ridiculously shaped voting districts to favor their own interests, it’s called gerrymandering, and Ohio is one of the 10 most gerrymandered states. The politicians who drew voting district maps the Ohio Supreme Court ruled were unconstitutional 7 times will do anything to stay in power – including trying to trick voters with lies on your ballot itself about Issue 1. Get the facts and reject the politicians’ lies. Issue 1 will end gerrymandering by empowering citizens, not politicians, to draw fair districts using an open and transparent process. It will: 

  • Create the 15-member Ohio Citizens Redistricting Commission made up of Democratic, Republican, and Independent citizens who broadly represent the different geographic areas and demographics of the state.  

  • Ban current or former politicians, political party officials and lobbyists from sitting on the Commission. 

  • Require fair and impartial districts by making it unconstitutional to draw voting districts that discriminate against or favor any political party or individual politician. 

  • Require the commission to operate under an open and independent process.” 

-Citizens Not Politicians  

[Source]

  • “Democracy works when citizens choose their representatives, but gerrymandering takes power from the people and lets representatives choose their voters. Gerrymandering is a way to rig political outcomes by creating districts that always vote for the same political party. It allows the party in charge to stay in charge by weakening the power of the opposing party, and making individual voters less impactful. The more this happens, the more untouchable legislators become. Gerrymandering distorts democracy, leading to political outcomes and policy decisions that aren’t what the majority of voters actually want. Ohioans overwhelmingly support fair districting. We've passed two constitutional amendments in 2015 and 2018 to reform electoral map making, but Ohio politicians and lobbyists keep finding ways to manipulate the laws in their favor. The solution? Get politicians out of the process. In 2024, we have the chance to pass a constitutional amendment that would give citizens the power. The Citizens Not Politicians amendment puts people first, not politicians' self-interest.” - Fair Districts Ohio

[Source]

  • “Right now in Ohio, politicians and lobbyists manipulate voting districts to protect their interests and guarantee their re-election. This year Ohioans will have the opportunity to take the redistricting process away from elected officials and give the power to draw the lines to an independent citizens redistricting commission. Following the successful passage of amendments to the Ohio Constitution to ban gerrymandering in 2015 and 2018, Ohio expected and deserved fair maps that kept communities together. Instead, the districts were drawn in secret and manipulated to advantage the political party in power. The Ohio Supreme Court determined that the congressional districts were unconstitutional gerrymanders twice and the state legislative maps unconstitutional five times. The bipartisan Ohio Redistricting Commission ignored the Ohio Supreme Court – and the will of the voters – by repeatedly approving gerrymandered districts. They made it clear that the pressure or desire to manipulate district lines was simply too much for elected officials.” - Common Cause Ohio 

[Source]

No

  • “Issue 1 is a Democrat power grab that will cost taxpayers MILLIONS and take away their input. Out-of-state special interests want to create a commission that will have virtually unlimited power to spend Ohio tax dollars – with zero accountability to Ohio voters. They want our money, without our input. Issue 1 creates an unaccountable commission whose members are chosen out of a hat by four retired judges, an unknown private hiring firm and commission members themselves. Commission members would not be required to meet any minimum level of qualifications and will be forced to hire consultants to draw maps. Once appointed, Ohio voters cannot remove any commission member even if they commit a felony. Issue 1 grants these unelected commission members virtually unlimited power to spend Ohio tax dollars, with no control by Ohio voters. Commission members could pay themselves whatever salaries they choose. They could also force Ohio taxpayers to cover as many expensive lawyers as they need. Issue 1 is a partisan power grab by elite, out-of-state special interests who want to rig Ohio’s elections and impose gerrymandering into Ohio’s constitution.” - Ohio Works 

[Source]

“Issue 1 is a masterclass in deception. Authored by shadowy dark money groups pushing progressive agendas nationwide, it’s all about lining the pockets of consultants and elites. They swoop in, cash their checks, and leave Ohio to deal with the fallout. Ohio's Republicans must be educated on this Issue before submitting their vote:  

  1. Issue 1 drains taxpayer resources without delivering meaningful results. It creates unnecessary bureaucracy that benefits only a select few. 

  1. This amendment lacks the safeguards needed for fair representation. It risks creating chaos instead of unity. Ohio deserves a process that reflects all its citizens. 

  1. Proponents want you to think there’s broad support, but many voices in those ads don’t represent average Ohioans. They prioritize their interests over yours. 

Voting NO on ISSUE 1 is a vote for transparency and accountability. We need a redistricting process that serves the people, not the political elite.” - Ohio Republican Party

[Source]

  • “Ohio Democrats and left-wing special interest groups are spending more than $26 million to rig Elections through the Issue 1 redistricting scam. Issue 1 would guarantee that unqualified redistricting commissioners are not accountable to Ohio voters, and would be impossible to remove them if they abuse their power - Issue 1 will cost Ohio taxpayers millions of dollars, and would force the State to pay redistricting commission lawyers unlimited legal expenses, with no accountability. Ohio voters need to stop this Democrat takeover of legislative redistricting. Vote No on Issue 1.” - Donald Trump, Former President of the United States 

[Source]

FINANCIAL BACKING

The following information provides insight into the money being spent to pass or defeat the ballot measure.

Yes

Committees formed to SUPPORT the Ohio Issue 1 Establish the Citizens Redistricting Commission Initiative:

CITIZENS NOT POLITICIANS

Selected Contributions TO Citizens Not Politicians include:

  • Article IV
  • Sixteen Thirty Fund   *funded by George Soros
  • American Civil Liberties Union
  • Our American Future Foundation
  • Ohio Progressive Collaborative

No

Committees formed to OPPOSE Ohio Issue 1, Establish the Citizens Redistricting Commission Initiative:

OHIO WORKS

Selected donors to Ohio Works include:

  • American Jobs and Growth PAC
  • Ohioans for a Healthy Economy
  • American Action Network
  • Ohio Manufacturers' Association
  • 55 Green Meadows
  • Jim Jordan for Congress

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