What yes or no vote really means for Ohio Issue 1

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Ohioans voting in this November's general election will be deciding whether to pass Issue 1, a proposed constitutional amendment to change how the state's political districts are drawn.

If passed, Issue 1 would eliminate the Ohio Redistricting Commission, made up of seven politicians who are responsible for drawing the districts for seats in Congress, the Ohio House and the Ohio Senate. In place of the commission, Issue 1 would create a panel of 15 Ohio citizens, selected by retired judges from across the political spectrum, who would draw boundaries for the state's 15 congressional districts, 33 state Senate districts and 99 state House districts.

In campaigning, groups for and against Issue 1 are both using the term gerrymandering, a practice where political maps are manipulated to favor one side over the other. Proponents say that passing Issue 1 will end gerrymandering, and opponents are saying that passing it will force gerrymandering upon the state.

Although Ohio went for the Republican presidential candidate by eight percentage points in the 2016 and 2020 elections, the Ohio House and Ohio Senate both have supermajorities favoring Republicans, and 10 of Ohio's 15 seats in the U.S. House are held by Republicans.

Issue 1 was written by a group called "Citizens not Politicians," which says a change is needed after the Ohio Supreme Court ruled seven times that the redistricting commission's maps were unconstitutionally favoring Republicans.

So, a "yes" vote would be in support of the citizen-led commission, and a "no" vote would keep the politician's redistricting commission as is.

Who supports Issue 1?

Issue 1 is backed by former Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor, a Republican who served on the court for 20 years before retiring in 2022 because of mandatory age limits. At an event in Cleveland last month, O'Connor said "the only people who support [gerrymandering] and benefit from it are lying politicians."

Top Ohio Democrats, like Senate Democratic Leader Nickie J. Antonio (D-Lakewood), House Democratic Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) and Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, agree with O'Connor and are supporting Issue 1.

"Issue 1 is supported by a broad coalition of Republicans, Independents, and Democrats," Antonio said in a statement. "With a citizen-led redistricting commission, we can restore the people's trust in our government and build a healthier system that holds elected representatives accountable."

The proposal also has the backing of Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former Republican governor of California, who headlined a "Terminate Gerrymandering" event this past March when he was in Columbus for the Arnold Sports Festival.

"There's no mistake, they intentionally draw it to screw you, the citizens," Schwarzenegger said at the event. "There is only one way, get the legislators and the lawmakers out of the redistricting business."

Who is against Issue 1?

Gov. Mike DeWine and the top state's other top Republicans, like Secretary of State Frank LaRose and U.S. Senate candidate Bernie Moreno, have joined U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and former President Donald Trump in speaking out against Issue 1.

In a Truth Social post, Trump argued Issue 1 "would guarantee that unqualified redistricting commissioners are not accountable to Ohio voters, and would be impossible to remove them if they abuse their power."

"Issue 1 is a nothing more than a Democrat power grab that will require gerrymandering so liberal billionaires can take over Congress and Ohio's legislature," LaRose said on social media.

Ohio Works, the group behind the opposition to Issue 1, argues that the proposal will "gerrymander more than what we have now" and that the citizen-led commission will be made up of "unelected bureaucrats."

"I understand frustration with politicians. But, [they] are accountable. Politicians are accountable," Matt Dole, the spokesperson for Ohio Works, said previously to NBC4. "And the way the commission will be made up under this ballot measure, it would remove accountability."