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By Ron Calhoun
Why Ohio’s Maps Must Reflect the Majority of Unaffiliated Voters
When most people think of redistricting, they imagine maps shaded in red and blue, carved up by one political party to outmaneuver the other. In Ohio, a striking truth is hidden beneath that oversimplified color scheme: the majority of voters are neither red nor blue. They are unaffiliated.
On May 10, 2024, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced that party affiliations had been updated in the statewide voter registration database following the March primary. Of Ohio’s more than 8 million registered voters, only 10% are Democrats and 19% are Republicans. That leaves over 5.7 million Ohioans, 71% of the electorate, without any party affiliation.
Yet despite these numbers, our congressional and state legislative maps are drawn by and for political parties, not for the independent majority that makes up the foundation of our democracy.
A Partisan Process in a Nonpartisan State
Under the current system, congressional maps are drawn by the state legislature, and state legislative maps by the Ohio Redistricting Commission, a political body composed entirely of elected officials. These entities are driven by partisan interest, and the result is a familiar pattern: voters don’t choose their representatives, representatives choose their voters.
This political cartography sidelines unaffiliated voters, packing and cracking districts in ways that ensure safe seats for major parties, often with no meaningful input from the public. As a result, more than two-thirds of Ohio voters, the unaffiliated majority, are essentially treated as statistical afterthoughts.
What If We Flipped the Script?
What if, instead of reinforcing partisan lines, we drew maps that reflected community cohesion, shared economic zones, cultural identity, and geographic logic? Imagine Ohio divided into 20 equal quadrants, not by party loyalty but by people power.
This model, visualized in a recent quadrant-based map, offers a nonpartisan, equitable framework for civic representation. Such zones could inform not only future redistricting but also community planning and public dialogue. It’s not about avoiding politics, it’s about rooting representation in people, not partisanship.
Legal Battles Underscore the Problem
Ohio has already faced multiple redistricting lawsuits. After the legislature’s 2022 congressional map was ruled to be gerrymandered, it was still allowed to stand. In 2023, the Ohio Redistricting Commission unanimously approved a new state legislative map, but it was challenged in court by the League of Women Voters, who argued that bipartisan agreement doesn’t equate to constitutional fairness.
In another significant case, Simon v. DeWine, a group of Black voters filed a federal lawsuit against Governor Mike DeWine, Secretary LaRose, and members of the Ohio Redistricting Commission. According to Democracy Docket, the plaintiffs claimed that the newly drawn 6th Congressional District diluted Black voting strength in northeast Ohio and violated the Voting Rights Act as well as the First, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments.
Although the court ultimately dismissed the case in July 2024, the legal back-and-forth illustrates how voting rights are still under active threat, and why reform must go beyond temporary fixes.
Citizens Not Politicians: A Path Forward
In response to these structural failures, Ohio voters are beginning to take matters into their own hands. A coalition called Citizens Not Politicians is leading the charge to create a citizen-led, independent redistricting commission, completely separate from elected officials.
According to The Columbus Dispatch, this movement’s ballot initiative, Issue 1, would establish a 15-member citizen commission composed of Democrats, Republicans, and independents. The goal is simple: end gerrymandering by taking power out of the hands of politicians and placing it into the hands of ordinary Ohioans.
Meanwhile, nonpartisan organizations like the League of Women Voters and Common Cause Ohio continue to challenge unfair maps in court and advocate for greater transparency and fairness in the redistricting process.
The Stakes Are High
As noted in a recent piece from the Brennan Center for Justice, Ohio’s long history of gerrymandering could finally end this November if voters approve reforms like Issue 1. For many, that vote may be the last best chance to return redistricting to the people it affects most, the voters themselves.
Conclusion: Maps Should Follow People, Not Parties
This moment presents an opportunity for transformation. If we believe in democracy, we must act to ensure that maps reflect people, not politics. That means:
- Supporting citizen-led redistricting commissions
- Calling out gerrymandering in all its forms
- Exploring alternative models like quadrant mapping
- And demanding that Ohio’s 71% unaffiliated majority be heard and respected
Our maps should not preserve power, they should distribute it. Not red. Not blue. Just us.
What do you think?
