“I was so confused in fact,” Dewberry said in an email, “that I had wondered if the elections board worker had put in my address accurately and if the correct ballot had been printed for me.”
It wasn’t a clerical error. Dewberry, like all of his Miamisburg neighbors and tens of thousands of voters across the state, was drawn into new voting districts since the last time he voted in a general election.
This is the first general election held using the state’s newly-adopted Ohio House and Ohio Senate districts, which were revamped in 2023 following various Ohio Supreme Court rulings which found that the maps used in the 2022 election unfairly advantaged Republicans.
And, this is the first presidential election since the state updated its federal congressional districts in 2022. Ohio’s congressional district boundaries required significant change because the state experienced stagnant population growth, according to the 2020 census, and therefore lost one of its 16 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Glaring changes
As far as state legislative districts go, few places in Ohio have seen a more drastic change recently than Miamisburg.
The city of nearly 20,000 residents was previously the center of Ohio House District 37 and Ohio Senate District 6, represented now in Columbus by Rep. Tom Young, R-Washington Twp., and Sen. Niraj Antani, R-Miami Twp., respectively.
But, in the new maps, H.D. 37 and S.D. 6 have a Miamisburg-shaped hole cut out of them. Now, the city is lumped into House District 40, consisting of all of Preble County and portions of Montgomery and Butler, and Senate District 5, which consists of all of Preble and portions of Butler, Darke, Miami and Montgomery.
As a result, Miamisburg voters will not be asked to cast a vote for Young in his unopposed race, nor will they be able to vote for the replacement of Antani, who has opted not to seek reelection.
Instead, Miamisburg voters are being asked to choose between incumbent Republican Ohio House Rep. Rodney Creech and his Democratic opponent Bobbie Arnold, both of West Alexandria. In the Ohio Senate, Miamisburg voters won’t have a voice for a few years, given that they were drawn into the district of Sen. Steve Huffman, R-Tipp City, who is not up for reelection until 2026.
Montgomery County Board of Elections Director Jeff Rezabek told this news outlet that he hasn’t seen voters raise concerns so far in early voting.
Credit: Avery Kreemer
Credit: Avery Kreemer
But Dewberry isn’t the only Miamisburg resident seemingly confused about who they can vote for. Political yard signs stumping for Senate District 6 candidates — whom no Miamisburg resident can cast a ballot for — can be found on First Street, Central Avenue, Linden Avenue, and tucked away in neighborhoods.
Credit: Avery Kreemer
Credit: Avery Kreemer
Be prepared
While Miamisburg’s situation is the most glaring, there were a slew of tweaks across southwest Ohio that might have moved you into an unfamiliar state or congressional district.
You can double-check the district you live in using the Ohio Secretary of State’s “Find My District” tool, which only needs your address to tell you the Ohio House, Ohio Senate, and federal congressional districts you live in. The page will let you swivel between two maps: 2024 districts and 2025 districts. The 2024 district map will show you the current districts, which are being phased out; the 2025 map will show you the districts that will begin in 2025 and which are being used to conduct this November’s election.
You can also access an online sample ballot ahead of voting, which will show you exactly the issues and candidates that you’ll be asked to weigh in on when you get to the polls. Start at the Ohio Secretary of State’s sample ballot page, click on the county you live in, then provide the requested information on your county’s board of elections website. From there, scroll until you find your sample ballot, which may be at the bottom of the page.
Digital maps
You can use the digital maps below to get a sense of what district you’ll be voting in this November.
Area’s new Ohio House maps (updated 2023):
Area’s new Ohio Senate maps (updated 2023):
Area’s new federal congressional maps, updated 2021:
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Avery Kreemer can be reached at 614-981-1422, on X, via email, or you can drop him a comment/tip with the survey below.
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