Ohio voters will decide on Question 1 redistricting initiative

Voters reject Ohio Issue 1 Tuesday, deciding to stick with the status quo instead of creating a new citizens commission to draw congressional and state legislative districts.

If that fails, Ohio will continue to use its current method of redistricting under the guidance of state lawmakers and a commission of seven elected officials.

The Associated Press has not called the race, but Ohio Republicans have declared victory.

Opponents of Ohio’s first issue spent a lot of money, but they convinced voters that the 26-page constitutional amendment was too confusing and flawed to pass. Results from Tuesday’s first edition mirrored former President Donald Trump’s victory in Ohio.

Trump, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and fellow Republicans have united against the plan to create a 15-member civilian commission. And Trump’s success in Ohio helped derail redistricting reform.

“We were dead in the water in July,” said Senate President Matt Huffman, a Lima Republican. “Governor Mike DeWine has changed that. “He stuck a stake in the sand and said it’s not going to happen in Ohio.”

Sen. Rob McCauley, R-Napoleon, also praised Trump’s support and said Issue 1’s likely defeat is proof that the Ohio Constitution is not for sale. He is expected to lead the Ohio Senate next year.

The Republican-drafted ballot measures said Ohio’s Question 1 would require gerrymandering, a concept most Ohioans oppose. GOP justices on the Ohio Supreme Court largely upheld the ballot language, despite opposition from their Democratic colleagues.

If the issue is not resolved, Ohio will retain its current congressional and state legislative maps until 2030.

Ohio’s first issue was a reaction to the way Republicans drew maps in 2021 and 2022, ignoring public opinion and the timing of districts being approved in the 11th.^th hour. A divided Ohio Supreme Court has rejected the maps seven times as unconstitutional gerrymandering.

Lawsuits and new leadership from the Ohio Supreme Court led to the current maps of Ohio.

In response, former Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor wrote a constitutional amendment to create a citizens’ redistricting commission. O’Connor, a Republican who had the deciding vote in seven redistricting decisions, left the court over age restrictions. Redistricting reform became her pension project.

DeWine said Ohio’s current redistricting system is broken. He promised to work with Ohio lawmakers to propose an alternative if the first question is rejected. But it’s unclear what that alternative would look like or whether the GOP-controlled Ohio Legislature would send it to voters for consideration.

Much of the money raised by Citizens Not Politicians came from out-of-state progressive groups and dark money alliances that typically support Democrats. Opponents received money from GOP donors such as the Columbus Crew and Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, as well as from the campaigns of congressmen such as Rep. Jim Jordan.

“Issue 1 was hardly a citizen initiative,” Ohio Republican Party Chairman Alex Triantafilou said Tuesday. “That’s over $30 million in out-of-state special interest.”

Read the proposed amendment here:

This story will be updated

Jesse Balmert covers government and state politics for the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.