Ohio is set to redraw state legislative and congressional district lines this year – and a coalition of about 20 progressive organizations calling themselves the Equal Districts Coalition are launching an effort to make sure the lines are drawn fairly.
"Ohio really is a quintessential swing state, I will die on that hill," said Katy Shanahan, the Ohio state director for All on the Line, a grassroots campaign to end gerrymandering. "But for the last 10 years, we've lived under districts that are so gerrymandered that they belie the purple nature of our state."
Ohioans have amended the state constitution twice to try and make sure the redistricting process represents Ohioans accurately. The new rules require approval from the Democrats for a 10-year map. Republicans can draw their own map without any Democratic support – but if they do, the map will only last four years.
Republicans have a supermajority in the House and the Senate and control 75% of state Senate seats even though Ohio consistently votes 55% to 45% for statewide Republican candidates.
"They are willing to cheat by any means necessary," said Desiree Tims, a former congressional candidate from Dayton and the current president and CEO of Innovation Ohio, a left-leaning policy group.
Ohio is one of the most gerrymandered states in the country, according to a 2019 Associated Press analysis.
"Representatives have been picking who they want to represent them, and that's not how democracy works," said Akii Butler, a student organizer from the Ohio Student Association, a progressive organization made up of student-led chapters on college campuses.
The Equal Districts Coalition thanked Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, for vetoing a section of the budget which would have allowed the Republican Senate president and Speaker of the House to spend taxpayer money on defending their position in potential redistricting lawsuits.
However, they criticized the Legislature for breaking for summer recess before establishing a way for Ohioans to submit proposed maps for consideration and called for a public hearing to hear from Ohioans about the redistricting process. Spokespersons from both the House and the Senate GOP could not be reached immediately for comment.
"The districts we draw will shape the next decade," said Prentiss Haney, co-executive director of Ohio Organizing Collaborative, which organizes progressive groups. "Every single Ohioan needs to be able to have their voice represented fairly."
The Equal Districts Coalition said they don't have a map in mind yet, as census data for redistricting purposes won't come out until mid-August at the earliest. They said they're focusing on getting public input on how the map should be drawn.
"Our focus is making sure the communities know what they want and know how they want to be represented," Haney said. "We'll let the mapmakers draw the maps."
Grace Deng is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.
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