Republican Governor of Ohio, Mike DeWine, announced his opposition to a fall ballot initiative aimed at reforming the state’s political mapmaking system. Instead, he plans to work with state lawmakers next year to propose an amendment modeled after Iowa’s system, which aims to remove politics from the redistricting process. DeWine criticized the Citizens Not Politicians amendment, arguing that its rules could lead to gerrymandering by mandating partisan proportionality in district maps.
Supporters of the Ohio ballot measure disagreed with DeWine’s assessment, highlighting that Iowa’s system still involves state lawmakers in the final decision on political district maps, unlike the Ohio proposal designed to avoid such political influence. The current Ohio system has faced court rejections of seven rounds of legislative and congressional maps as unconstitutional.
Retired Ohio Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor accused DeWine of spreading misinformation and supporting a plan that would allow politicians to manipulate redistricting. O’Connor, a proponent of the ballot measure, criticized DeWine’s proposal, which would give politicians the final say on maps, contrary to the citizens’ intentions.
The fall ballot proposal seeks to replace the Ohio Redistricting Commission with an independent body directly chosen by citizens, featuring members representing diverse party affiliations and geographic areas. The redrawing of district boundaries following the 2020 Census has faced multiple legal challenges resulting in the rejection of gerrymandered maps.
DeWine emphasized the importance of the criteria outlined in the state constitution for map drawing and pledged to work with the Legislature to introduce the Iowa-inspired plan to voters. He mentioned the possibility of bringing it to a statewide ballot if lawmakers do not act accordingly. Additionally, DeWine explained his decision not to call for an immediate special session to address the issue, citing lack of support in the politically divided Ohio House.
The Citizens Not Politicians group, advocating for fair redistricting, reported significant fundraising success of nearly $25 million from a bipartisan pool of donors. O’Connor highlighted the public’s aversion to gerrymandering, emphasizing that it favors political elites over citizens’ interests. DeWine urged voters to consider the influence of national groups funding the initiative before making their decision at the polls.
