Fair and Transparent Mapmaking

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 and our coalition of redistricting reformers Fair Districts spent 2023 laying the stage for a citizens initiative to amend the Ohio Constitution.

We are working with the Citizens Not Politicians campaign to collect signatures across the state.

Check our events page to find petition circulation training, messaging, Sign up to get training on petition collection, all-purpose volunteering, and how to be a redistricting ambassador.