CINCINNATI — Voters heading to the polls in Ohio will notice another "Issue 1" on their ballot this general election — this time, the measure is a redistricting proposal that could drastically change the balance of power within the statehouse.
The goal of Issue 1 is to end gerrymandering, which is manipulating district lines to favor one political party.
“We have some of the most biased maps in the country, not just at the congressional level but the State House and the State Senate,” said Dr. David Niven, a political science professor at the University of Cincinnati.
Niven was asked by the League of Women Voters Ohio to look over the state’s districting maps and see if the issue of gerrymandering had been fixed by Ohio's last redistricting reform.
“My answer from my review of the districts is decidedly no, we didn’t fix the problem,” Niven said. “We changed some of the problems but the fundamentals are still the same.”
The League of Women Voters Ohio is working to campaign in favor of Issue 1, stating that the current districting maps hurt all voters.
“What we see are these weird districts that make it difficult for Ohio voters to be heard and represented,” said Jen Miller, executive director for the League of Women Voters Ohio.
One of those “weird” districts Miller refers to is the 1st Congressional District right here in Cincinnati.
Miller says those who created the map grouped the City of Cincinnati with Warren County, creating a “land bridge” since the two don’t connect. But she says the shape is not the biggest issue.
“The biggest concern would be the profound differences between residents of Warren County and Cincinnati,” Miller said.
She added the two areas have drastic financial differences, homeownership numbers and more, often causing one of the two to be disappointed by their political leaders.
However, many GOP lawmakers disagree, saying the current maps work.
“The three main things are to make sure you have one person, one vote, you have communities together, and you keep compactness, and you can only split communities one time,” said Republican state Rep. Adam Mathews (District 56).
Mathews argues that if Issue One passes, it will gerrymander district maps.
“It will push both regional and political polarization, all for the benefit of adding two democratic congressional seats,” Mathews said.
He and others who oppose Issue 1 add that only new Democrats who are voted in will benefit from it, and if they truly wanted “unbiased maps” then they would only change who draws them.
