CINCINNATI — On Tuesday, the Ohio Redistricting Commission is holding a public meeting at the University of Cincinnati so Ohioans in the Tri-State can make their voices heard.
The purpose of the commission and the hearing is to redraw congressional district lines throughout Ohio. An Associated Press report found that Ohio has one of the most gerrymandered district maps and favors Republicans.
"While this is about numbers and really, really impressive software, it's ultimately about people," Dr. David Niven, a political science professor at UC, said. "It's ultimately about people who get drawn in or drawn out of districts."
The first meeting of the commission was held Monday in Cleveland, and citizens maligned the current maps.
"My vote doesn’t count,” Daisie Reish, 77, told the panel, according to the AP. “I call my representatives constantly and they never vote for me. They always vote the opposite.”
Redistricting in 2021 has some new rules set by voters to make sure that Ohio isn't gerrymandered again. The commission must try to keep cities and counties in the same district, and Cincinnati is split into several districts.
"That's one of the fundamentally important things about these maps," Niven said. "A well-drawn map, a fairly drawn map gives Cincinnati and other communities a chance to have a voice in the process."
The hearing takes place at the 1819 Innovation Hub at UC from 2:30-5:30 p.m. If you can't make the meeting, you can still provide feedback to the commission here.
