Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine won’t vote for a constitutional amendment to remove politicians like himself from drawing congressional and state lawmakers’ districts.
DeWine said Ohio’s redistricting process needs to change but the proposed amendment would encourage gerrymandering.
“I believe we must put an end to gerrymandering once and for all in Ohio,” DeWine said. “The only way to do this is to take politics completely out of the drawing of the maps.”
The proposed amendment would replace Ohio’s current method of drawing maps for congressional and state legislative districts, a process called redistricting. Instead, a 15-member citizen panel without close political ties would craft districts.
Backers of the amendment, called Citizens Not Politicians, say the changes are needed to prevent gerrymandering, which is when one political party draws districts to favor their candidates unfairly and disproportionately.
A divided Ohio Supreme Court repeatedly ruled that Republican politicians, including DeWine, had approved gerrymandered maps to benefit their candidates. At one point, Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, opined that Republicans could be entitled to up to 81% of legislative seats. After a protracted process and multiple lawsuits, elected Republicans and Democrats ultimately agreed on statehouse maps to use through 2030.