Ohio is About to Gerrymander its Congressional Districts Again

“Lawmakers know their seats are safe, so it eliminates the component of accountability”

It’s not just Texas. The Republican Party’s strategy of rigging elections to hold onto power through gerrymandering long pre-dates Trump — and we can see the consequences nationwide. The redistricting plot that paved the way for what’s happening now, REDMAP, was executed in 2010 and supercharged by the Citizens United decision that allowed Republican strategists to flood under-the-radar state legislative races with unprecedented sums of money during a major redistricting year. It was all directed by Karl Rove, who wrote, “He who controls redistricting can control Congress.”

Ohio lawmakers are planning another gerrymander of Congressional districts right now. The first public hearing on Ohio Republicans’ proposed maps is scheduled for Monday, September 22nd in Columbus.

There are so many layers to how rigged the system is: In response to the Republican-controlled legislature gerrymandering the state, organizers put together a 2024 ballot initiative that would have reformed the system to prevent gerrymandering. A Republican panel wrote the language of the initiative, Issue 1. Local organizers sued, arguing that the language was misleading. By now it should come as no surprise that the Ohio Supreme Court, whose justices are elected in partisan races, sided with the Republican state officials, not the anti-corruption reformers, and kept the Republican-written language.

Issue 1 was so confusing that after it was defeated in last year’s election, former Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor told a local paper, “Everybody that voted in this election, I venture to say, thought they were voting to end gerrymandering, it’s as simple as that.”

I spoke with Bria Bennett, communications director at the non-partisan Ohio Organizing Collaborative, part of the Equal Districts Coalition, about how she and other Ohioans aren’t backing down, even in the face of politicians’ blatant power grabs.

Meaghan: What’s going on with redistricting in Ohio, and how does that fit in with the fight for democracy?

Bria: When it came down to it, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose was able to change the Issue One ballot language. He has the legal ability to do that. That meant the language of the amendment was very confusing to voters. If you wanted to stop gerrymandering, it looked like you should vote no, when in actuality you should’ve voted yes. It was so confusing that whether the yard signs were supporting or opposing Issue One, they said, “Ban gerrymandering.”

Ultimately, the amendment failed, and so we're back in this redistricting process again. When you gerrymander districts, lawmakers know their seats are safe, so it eliminates the component of accountability. Lawmakers don’t have to worry about a challenger, they don’t have to worry about voters saying, “We’re going to vote you out.” Because in some cases, voters can’t. Lawmakers become more responsive to major donors than voters.

The more transparent our processes are, and the more accountability we have, the more it's going to equal fair maps. The more it's going to mean fair elections, fair representation. Once you have those two pieces, transparency and accountability, you filter out the political power grabs, the system where lawmakers just want to do favors for each other.

Meaghan: When you’re talking to people in Ohio, what resonates with them about political corruption?

Bria: Everyday Ohioans are worried about the price of eggs, the price of gas, and they noticed that there was inflation because the cost of their cigarettes went up. When you break it down that politicians are drawing themselves districts in a way that removes their vote, politicians are picking who votes for them to keep themselves in power, that’s when you start to pique their interest.

Congressman Mike Turner, down in Dayton, is a Republican who voted yes for the Big Brutal Bill, and is one of the politicians who has his Congressional district drawn for him. So, he stays in power, and he controls whether your mom and dad can have Medicare. That’s where the rubber meets the road for people.

The biggest thing that is resonating with folks is tax cuts that are going to billionaires. In Ohio this year, $600 million in unclaimed funds were given to the billionaire Haslams that own the Cleveland Browns to move the stadium outside of Cleveland to Brook Park. Okay, $600 million. Meanwhile, our public education system is underfunded by $2.85 billion. Cleveland city schools had that money taken out of their pocket, given to billionaires.

Meanwhile, Ohio now has a flat tax. That means that somebody that's making $30,000, $300,000 and $3 million are all paying that same percentage. To me, that’s absolutely outrageous. And at the same time, there are cuts to education, cuts to Medicaid, tax breaks for billionaires.

What does a billion dollars mean? It means that JD Vance can come to Ohio and ask people to change the water level so that he can go on his private yacht. Meanwhile, Ohioans have to decide between buying groceries and buying heart medication, when lots of nursing homes are closing because of the Congressional Reconciliation Bill. All of this is happening, and our kids don't have access to Head Start. Parents don't have access to affordable childcare.

Meaghan How can people get involved in your efforts?

Bria: First, join the Equal Districts Coalition. They can go to our website, sign up for our newsletter, which has our calls to action. The first round of Ohio maps has to be completed by September 30. Before that happens, there has to be at least two public hearings. Politicians have the power to mess with those hearings, so we have to demand that they actually have those hearings. The first one is now scheduled for September 22nd.

Before those hearings, people can submit a letter-to-the-editor to their local newspaper. They can also submit testimony for the hearings. They can join our training on how to get involved. We will continue to have mobilizations and events. Our social media has the most up-to-date information about the hearings.

Meaghan: With all these terrible things happening, how are you coping?

Bria: I fully believe that we are changing Ohio. Every op-ed, every social media post, it doesn’t matter how small it is, if it’s talking to ten people, it matters. I’m really relying on the small wins. Our organization has prevented some terrible things from happening. We don't always win, but I truly believe that, at the end of the day, the power of people can overcome this.

It’s going to get worse before it gets better, but I really believe there will come a point in time where folks are just like, “Okay, listen, this is not working for me anymore. I may have voted for this, but it's not working for me.” And then there are the people who are like, “I definitely did not vote for this, and it's still not working for me.” I truly believe in the power of people and what we can do when we are united.

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ICYMI, some good news…