Redistricting
Position
LWVUS: A plank of the Making Democracy Work™ platform
In 2019, LWVUS launched the People Powered Fair Maps™ (PPFM) program to advocate for the creation of equitable, accurate maps in all 50 states and DC and to educate about redistricting and increase public engagement in the 2021 map drawing process.
LWVO: Support an impartial districting process with opportunity for citizen participation. Support districts that are compact, contiguous, bounded by a non-intersecting line, and follow political boundaries as much as possible. Read more…
Definition: Redistricting
Redistricting, or community districting, is the process of creating representational district maps for states and local communities. By determining which neighborhoods are included in each mapped boundary, redistricting impacts how our communities are represented in the US and local government and determines how resources are distributed.
Reapportionment due to 10 year census data:
Ohio elects its members of the U.S. House of Representatives, its state senators, and its state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations, giving each person’s vote the same amount of influence. Every ten years, Ohio must redraw its congressional and General Assembly districts based on the updated population data in order to maintain population equality between districts and, in some cases, to change the number of congressional districts to match the new number of representatives to which Ohio is entitled.
Process
The state uses two separate processes for General Assembly and congressional redistricting. The voters approved a constitutional amendment implementing a new General Assembly redistricting process in November 2015, and a separate constitutional amendment prescribing a new congressional redistricting process in May 2018. Read more…
Focus
People Powered Fair Maps™ focuses on:
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Ensuring equity and transparency in the map-drawing process
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Advocating for independent redistricting commissions and the integrity of existing commissions
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Pushing for restoration of the Voting Rights Act of 1965
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Monitoring and protecting the “free and fair” clause in state constitutions
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Increasing education and public engagement in the community districting process
Fight The Threat of Gerrymandering
Political Gerrymandering
When maps are drawn to increase or decrease the influence of a particular political party.
Racial Gerrymandering
When mapmakers draw boundaries to either benefit or disenfranchise members of a certain race.
Learn more from our resources
For updates, Actions, Volunteer Opportunities and more…
Fair Districts Ohio is an organization committed to fairer state legislative and congressional maps. We are a non-partisan team of voting rights experts and organizations working to create a better and more equitable representational democracy. The coalition includes Common Cause Ohio, the League of Women Voters of Ohio, Ohio A. Philip Randolph Institute, the Ohio Council of Churches, the Ohio Voter Rights Coalition, and more.
Go to Fair Districts Ohio
