Redistricting Ohio

Website: U.S. Census Bureau
Website: Fair Districts Ohio
Website: Common Cause Ohio
Website: Ohio Redistricting Commission (ORC)
Website: The Ohio Citizens’ Redistricting Commission (OCRC)

ARTICLES:


For events and/or information to keep Ohioans informed
about the redistricting process,
please visit one of the following websites.

Who Are The Groups Involved in Redistricting?

Several groups are involved with the redistricting project –
from providing data to hosting educational programs so we can be informed citizens.
Visit each group’s website for the latest information, webinars or other events.

Citizens Not Politicians (CNP)
Coalition of Ohioans committed to ensuring that voters
choose their elected officials, not the other way around.
CNP is led by voting rights organizations like Common Cause Ohio,
League of Women Voters, Ohio Organizing Collaborative, and the ACLU of Ohio,
with support from former Supreme Court of Ohio Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor.
This nonpartisan effort will ensure that Ohioans get the fair maps we deserve.

Get the Facts on the Citizens Not Politicians Amendment

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. Ohio politicians even recently implemented voting districts the Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional.

The Citizens Not Politicians Amendment 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, lobbyists, and large political donors 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.

Read the whole petition here.

Census2020
The Census2020 provides the data of
apportionment results to all states for
their use to redraw Congressional and
state districts beginning in 2021.

Census Bureau Statement on Redistricting Data Timeline

The “Historical Apportionment Data Map” currently
displays apportionment results for each census
from 1910 to 2010.

The Fair Districts = Fair Elections Coalition
is committed to reining in partisan gerrymandering.
We seek fair state legislative and
congressional maps that keep communities
together because we believe that
all elections should be fair and meaningful.

Common Cause Ohio
has been a leading voice for
government accountability for five decades.

The Ohio Redistricting Commission (ORC)
The Ohio Redistricting Commission was created
by an amendment to the Ohio Constitution,
which was approved by 71% of Ohio voters in November 2015.

The Ohio Redistricting Commission is comprised of seven members:
One individual appointed by the Senate President
One individual appointed by the Speaker of the House
One individual appointed by the Senate Minority Leader
One individual appointed by the House Minority Leader
The Governor
The Auditor
The Secretary of State

Auditor of State Keith Faber (R) – Co-Chair
State Senate Minority Leader Nickie J. Antonio (D) – Co-Chair
State Senate Majority Whip Rob McColley (R)
State House Representative Jeff LaRe (R)
State House Minority Leader C. Allison Russo (D)
Governor Mike DeWine (R)
Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R)

The Ohio Citizens Redistricting Commission (OCRC)
is an independent, non-artisan commission made up of
15 volunteer members. Commission members will include
academics, political party officials, community representatives,
and others from across the state.
The commission’s activities include:
hosting public hearings for community input,
collecting publicly available data for mapmaking,
and supporting public education on redistricting.

The OCRC website has info you need about:

Members of the OCRC:

  • Barbara Sykes, former state representative, Ohio Legislative Black Caucus (OBLC) Foundation President & CEO
  • Tom Roberts, former state senator, President of the Ohio State Conference of the NAACP
  • Andre Washington, President of the A. Philip Randolph Institute (APRI) Ohio Chapter, Vice Chair of the Ohio Democratic Party
  • Katy Shanahan, All On The Line Ohio State Director
  • Kathleen Clyde, former state representative (OCRC Co-Chair)
  • Greg Moore, Promise of Democracy Foundation (OCRC Co-Chair)
  • Jeniece Brock, Health Scientist Policy & Advocacy Director for the Ohio Organizing Collaborative (OCRC Secretary)
  • Sam Gresham, Chair of Common Cause Ohio
  • Akii Butler, Ohio Student Association
  • Dr. Richard Gunther, Retired professor
  • Chris Tavenor, Ohio Environmental Council
  • Dr. Lis Regula, Professor and LGBTQ activist
  • Jeremy Blake, Newark City Council member, Equality Ohio board member
  • Dr. Ellen Greene Bush, Clinical Psychologist
  • Alan Bannister, Ohio political professional, former Ohio statewide political director for Joe Biden
  • Amina Barhumi, Council on American-Islamic Relations CAIR-Ohio

Commission members are selected through an application or referral process. There is no requirement for existing familiarity with redistricting. We desire a wide range of background knowledge on the topic. Additional members may be appointed to the current commission.

Public Meetings

Ohio Redistricting Commission (ORC) public meetings schedule.

August 23, 2021 | 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Cleveland State University
Cleveland, OH 44115
To view hearing on ohiochannel.org, visit here.

August 23, 2021 | 2:30 PM – 5:30 PM
Youngstown State University
Youngstown, OH 44555
To view hearing on ohiochannel.org, view here.

August 24, 2021 | 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Sinclair Community College
Dayton, OH 45402
To view hearing on ohiochannel.org, view here.

August 24, 2021 | 2:30 PM – 5:30 PM
University of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, OH 45206
To view hearing on ohiochannel.org, view here.

August 25, 2021 | 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Ohio University – Zanesville
Zanesville, OH 43701
To view hearing on ohiochannel.org, view here.

August 25, 2021 | 2:30 PM – 5:30 PM
Rio Grande Community College
Rio Grande, OH 45674
To view hearing on ohiochannel.org, view here.

August 26, 2021 | 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Ohio State University – Lima
Lima, OH 45804
To view hearing on ohiochannel.org, view here.

August 26, 2021 | 2:30 PM – 5:30 PM
Toledo Lucas County Public Library – Main Branch
Toledo, OH 43604
To view hearing on ohiochannel.org, view here.

August 27, 2021 | 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM
University of Akron
1200 Mill Street
Quaker Station, Ballroom
Akron, OH 44308
To view hearing on ohiochannel.org, view here.

August 27, 2021 | 2:30 PM – 5:30 PM
Ohio State University – Mansfield
1760 University Drive
Riedl Hall, Room 151
Mansfield, OH 44906
To view hearing on ohiochannel.org, view here.

Ohio Citizens Redistricting Commission (OCRC)
To view videos of past hearings, please visit here.

Mapmaking in 2021:
Community Mapping and Mapmaking
with DistrictR Tutorial
WATCH: YouTube
Here is an opportunity to learn about
community mapping and also a tutorial on District R,
public software developed by MGGG Redistricting Lab,
a research group at Tufts University.
Common Cause Ohio will lead the discussion about
the benefits of community mapping and
then provide a demonstration of the software.