Ultimately, the version of the initiative the Ohio Ballot Board put in front of voters was false and misleading, and while millions of Ohioans voted for fair representation, it wasn’t enough to secure a victory.
It’s important to look at how we got here. Ohio consistently ranks in the top 10 of the most gerrymandered states in the country. Between 2022 and 2023, the Ohio Supreme Court struck down proposed maps seven times, which forced Ohioans to vote under unconstitutional maps in the 2022 midterms. Our current maps are a compromise approved by the redistricting commission — not ruled illegal, but still blatantly gerrymandered. Our inability to hold the commission accountable means that our democracy is essentially already broken.
With this fundamentally flawed system, voters across the entire political spectrum convened for a solution. We watched as politicians of all stripes failed time and time again to advance balanced maps. And we were hopeful it’d be up to Ohio voters to fix it via Issue 1.
This amendment would’ve banned former and current politicians and lobbyists from serving on a reimagined redistricting commission and made it illegal to manipulate voting districts to discriminate against or favor any political party or individual politician. It would’ve enshrined an open, transparent process to bring order back to our elections. And it would’ve helped ensure that districts are competitive – preserving the voting power of Black communities and restoring the voices of the 71% of Ohioans who are registered Independents.
It also attested to the fact that when citizens drew district lines, they proved capable of producing balanced maps, informed by thorough assessments and hearings with local communities. This was not just a theory or a hypothetical. We saw that citizens could accomplish what politicians did not.
As community activists, we meet voters of all backgrounds and affiliations and see firsthand the need for change. For years, we’ve worked on the ground in underrepresented communities — places disregarded by politicians. Our organizations fill gaps left by leaders who make it clear that certain voices matter less to them. This work will always continue, stronger than before, but the fact stands: politicians should not have the power to decide whose vote counts.
The detrimental effects of politicians who advance extreme policies that serve their interests cannot be understated. The attacks we’ve seen on trans people, attempts to control and roll back reproductive rights, and a doubling down on restrictive voting laws all move us toward a more extreme, harmful agenda. We need both tools and representation to counter these threats. While a slew of factors contributed to lower turnout in certain counties this cycle, it’s this same extremism that produced strict voter ID laws and 11th-hour rollbacks to voting access, spawning needless long lines and headaches.
There is no sugarcoating the depth of this disappointment. Our movement brought together so many folks who didn’t agree on everything but were aligned on this mission to move Ohio’s elections forward. We are hopeful this coalition will continue to fight with us as we explore what the future looks like.
As long-time Ohioans, activists, and leaders of civic engagement organizations, we can confidently say this is far from the end. We’re in this for the long haul because Ohioans deserve a genuinely functional system. Ohioans deserve to be heard. And we cannot and will not rest in our fight to ensure that every voter gets equal representation under the law.
James Hayes is Co-Director of Ohio Voice and Petee Talley is Convener of the Ohio Unity Coalition.
Credit: SHARELL AROCHO
Credit: SHARELL AROCHO
