As a member of Gen-Z, I often hear people my age say that they don’t vote because they feel their vote doesn’t matter. In a lot of ways, they’re absolutely right, but we can change that.
I cast my first ballot in 2020 during my first year at the University of Dayton. I was excited to vote, but I was also disillusioned and disappointed. I knew the districts I was voting in were gerrymandered and ultimately my voice wouldn’t meaningfully be heard in Columbus or Washington. The power I should have had to shape my community and meaningfully change the lives of my loved ones had been deliberately diluted by politicians manipulating voting districts.
Just take a look at the 2022 Ohio House map (which, by the way, was found by the Ohio Supreme Court to be unconstitutional): Why does District 40 reach all the way around the city of Dayton, grabbing Trenton in the south and Huber Heights in the north?
Or look at the 2024 Ohio House map: Why does District 40 now reach in and grab all of Miamisburg, deep inside District 37?
It’s because these were the best ways to rig the maps and maximize seats for the politicians in charge of the redistricting process.
Politician-drawn voting districts are not about representing your voice; they’re about those in control maintaining power. We can take the first steps to reclaim the power that is rightfully ours by voting YES on Issue 1.
Issue 1 takes redistricting away from politicians and gives it instead to a geographically and demographically diverse group of citizens, equally balanced between 5 Republicans, 5 Democrats, and 5 voters unaffiliated with either party. It ensures that voters choose their politicians, not the other way around.
From the short time between my first vote in 2020 and now, I’ve seen the politicians on the Ohio Redistricting Commission, including the Governor, Auditor, and Secretary of State, repeatedly ignore the Ohio Supreme Court and continue to draw illegal maps. Politicians then attempted to end majority rule during the August special election last year, and, in their latest effort to fool voters, passed purposefully misleading ballot language for Issue 1 that misrepresents what the amendment is about. They are terrified of the idea that average voters, rather than partisan hacks, could take control of our political system. They won’t stop undermining our democracy until we step in and stop them.
But don’t just take it from me. More than 535,000 Ohioans – Republicans, Democrats, Independents, Libertarians – signed to support Issue 1, including voters from all 88 counties. The bipartisan coalition campaigning for the measure includes more than 100 organizations, businesses, and thought leaders. The people of Ohio are clearly sick and tired of the lies and blatant power grabs by politicians.
Many folks my age want to live in a state where citizens, not politicians, are in charge. We as young people want to take action to shape our future, but feel we cannot in the current system. Engaging with and empowering our voices, rather than maligning and marginalizing them, will lead to more active and energized young voters. I want to see our generation take the power that we are entitled to and not stumble into the pitfalls of cynicism and apathy that benefit the politicians elected because of gerrymandered maps.
Vote YES on Issue 1 so we can begin to build the Ohio we want to live in.