Ohio Begins Plans for Congressional Redistricting

Dayton map big data visualization. Futuristic map infographic of city in USA. Visual map data complexity in modern blue and orange colors — Source: GarryKillian / Getty

Ohio is reigniting the redistricting fight.

The General Assembly has until the end of September to pass new congressional maps, after the current ones (drawn in 2021) were ruled unconstitutional and given just a four-year lifespan. If lawmakers can’t agree, the process shifts to the Ohio Redistricting Commission in October. If that fails, a simple majority in the General Assembly could push through a map by the end of November.

Lawmakers are aiming for transparency in the process, so they’ve launched an online portal where Ohioans can view and input their opinions on the map redrawing.

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State Rep. Ron Ferguson: “Transparency’s key, and that’s something we do have here in Ohio that we don’t have in a lot of other states… There is public participation in our map drawing process.”

Still, gerrymandering looms large over the debate. Eddie Abdalla, head of the Jefferson County Democratic Party, says fair maps are the only goal.

Republicans currently hold 10 of Ohio’s 15 U.S. House seats, and experts say they’ll likely aim to expand that. Ferguson himself admitted any new maps will lean red, citing years of consistent Republican wins statewide.

But political scientists warn maps don’t guarantee outcomes. “Indexes do not equal results,” longtime GOP strategist Terry Casey said.

“It’s very clear from past experience that Republicans do not intend to engage in a process that’s going to result in fair maps, and we should not pretend otherwise,” Democratic strategist Morgan Harper said.

For now, Ohioans actually have a chance to weigh in directly. To view guidelines or submit your own congressional map, visit redistricting.legislature.ohio.gov.