Voters in Ohio are deciding Issue 1 on the ballot this November. The issue is a proposed constitutional amendment that, if passed, would alter how the state draws its maps for political districts at the statehouse and congressional levels.
The maps in place for Ohio currently for statehouse and congressional district boundaries were ruled unconstitutionally gerrymandered by the state’s Supreme Court seven times. Those maps were drawn using reforms overwhelmingly approved by voters in 2015 and 2018.
The group behind the push to pass Issue 1 in Ohio called Citizens Not Politicians wants to remove politicians and lobbyists from the process by creating a 15-member commission made up of five Democrats, five Republicans and five Independents. The group says the issue will put the power back into the hands of Ohio’s electorate and claims to have bipartisan support.
Republican state lawmakers and leaders have come out strongly against Issue 1 and say the issue will make gerrymandering worse in Ohio and question how the proposed non-political commission would work.
On Oct. 28, the “Sound of Ideas” will explore Issue 1 in a Community Tour event at Oberlin College. The discussion will be led by host Jenny Hamel and will include our Statehouse News Bureau Chief Karen Kasler as well as supporters and opponents of Issue 1.
The event begins at 6 p.m. and will be held on the Oberlin campus at the Nancy Schrom Dye Lecture Hall. The event is free but registration is required.
"Sound of Ideas Community Tour: Drawing Ohio's Maps" registration link and parking information.
You can also read some of Ideastream’s prior coverage of the topic in the related content articles linked at the bottom of the page.
