This November could be a turning point in Ohio. No, not in any of our elections to send presidents, senators, or representatives to Washington—as important as those races are. I write instead of the Citizens Not Politicians ballot initiative to amend the Ohio Constitution to create a non-partisan, citizen-led redistricting process. That amendment has the potential to usher in a new era of good governance and fairness, something which our state has sorely lacked.
Both chambers of our Statehouse have been elected using maps that they themselves drew to benefit their own reelection, a practice known as gerrymandering. Instead of voters choosing their representatives, in Ohio representatives choose their voters.
While Republicans make up about 54% of Ohio’s electorate, they control 66% of Ohio’s U.S. House seats, 68% of seats in the state House, and 78% in the state Senate. This is not only unfair, but in the opinion of the Ohio Supreme Court seven times over, illegal. However, the opinions of citizens and even of courts can be ignored in a system which is rigged in favor of a single party.