Redistricting is back on the agenda for Ohio. This month, the Ohio General Assembly will return to redraw our state's federal congressional districts. The need for a bipartisan map and fair representation is long overdue and has consistently been ignored by our elected officials. This ongoing evasion of responsibilities is exactly why lawmakers must return to the drawing board this fall.
As we prepare for another round of mapmaking, let’s walk through how we got here.
What is Redistricting + Why is it Important?
Every 10 years following the U.S. Census, Ohio state legislators use the results to redraw districts for the Ohio House, Ohio Senate, and Ohio’s Congressional representatives. By utilizing key census data and redrawing our maps, we can create districts that accurately represent our communities – especially as our state population shifts, diversity grows, and overall needs change. By completing the redistricting process in a lawful equitable manner and rejecting partisan gerrymandering, lawmakers elected to office can fairly represent their districts and constituents.
New Constitutional Amendments
In 2018, voters approved an amendment that solidified the Ohio General Assembly’s responsibilities for redistricting. The OGA is required to pass a congressional map with bipartisan votes or else only a temporary map will be adopted for four years. A bipartisan vote refers to a map that receives 60% support in each chamber and 50% support from members of both political parties in each chamber. If the OGA is unable to pass a bipartisan map, the Ohio Redistricting Commission is tasked with adopting a bipartisan map. If the Commission is unsuccessful, the work reverts to the OGA. Maps at this final stage can be passed by a simple majority vote, but the map must comply with specific anti-gerrymandering rules.
What Happened in the Previous Mapmaking Sessions?
Following the 2020 census, lawmakers put these new amendments into action to redraw Ohio’s legislative and congressional maps. However, during 2021 and 2022, we consistently witnessed the OGA ignoring not only the will of Ohio voters by passing gerrymandered maps, but also defying the orders of the Supreme Court of Ohio after the maps were rightly struck down for being unconstitutional partisan gerrymanders and unduly favoring one political party over another. Ultimately, lawmakers failed to receive bipartisan support for their proposed congressional map. This lead to a new congressional map passed with only a simple majority with a shortened four-year lifespan instead of the intended ten years in line with the U.S. census.
What’s Next
Now, in 2025, time is up for the temporary map passed in 2022. The state legislature will restart the congressional redistricting process with a tight timeline to ensure a new map is in place for the 2026 midterms. Here are the important dates to know:
- September 30: The Ohio General Assembly has until this date to adopt a new congressional map, passed with bipartisan support.
- October 31: If the OGA fails to meet the first deadline, the responsibility falls to the Ohio Redistricting Commission. The Commission then has until this date to pass a map with bipartisan support, meaning two votes from each political parties’ Commission members.
- November 30: In the event the Commission also fails to meet its deadline, the power returns to the OGA for this final deadline. This map will be in place until 2032, regardless if it receives bipartisan support.
With every proposed map, Ohio officials in each body must hold at least two hearings for public and written comment. Lawmakers have already opened a public portal for community members to submit their own maps for consideration.
Take Action: Tell Ohio elected officials adopt a congressional map that fairly keeps the responsibility of choosing politicians in the hands of the people. Our lawmakers must set aside personal political agendas and partisan games to fulfill their duties clearly outlined in the State Constitution.
Fair maps mean fair representation, and we the people deserve to be represented with integrity and accountability.