Ohio Democrats Propose a Fair Redistricting Map
Ohio House Minority Leader Dani Isaacsohn (D-Cincinnati) and Senate Democratic Leader Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood) have introduced a fair congressional redistricting proposal. The legislation was rolled out to meet Ohio’s September 30 deadline for the General Assembly to approve a bipartisan map.
Democratic leaders said their proposal is designed to give voters—not politicians—greater power in choosing their representatives. “This should not be about Republicans or Democrats,” Isaacsohn said. “This is about people having a basic voice in their democracy.”
Antonio emphasized the need to avoid the last-minute, partisan process that led to gerrymandered maps in the past. “If Republicans are willing, we can pass a fair, bipartisan map before the September 30 deadline and put the people of Ohio first,” she said.
Key Features of the New Map
- Complies with state and federal constitutional requirements, including protections for racial minorities and voting rights.
- Does not favor or disfavor either party or incumbents.
- Reflects Ohio’s statewide voter preferences over the last decade.
- Avoids pitting incumbents against one another.
- Keeps communities together, with 74 counties left whole.
- Splits only 14 counties once each, with no county split twice.
- Creates three districts entirely contained within single counties.
- Ensures all districts are contiguous and compact.
Democrats say their plan maximizes fairness, transparency, and constitutional compliance, while moving Ohio closer to the reforms voters demanded in 2018.
