Now that they’ve had success in changing the way the maps for lawmakers at the state and federal level are drawn, citizen groups are turning their attention to other concerns.
Jen Miller from the League of Women Voters of Ohio says Issue 1, the Congressional redistricting amendment that passed in the primary, is still top of mind for her group.
“We need to make sure we have a great Census and then we need to work together to make sure we have really great maps,” Miller says.
Changes to Ohio’s redistricting process wouldn’t kick in until after the 2020 Census, and a new map wouldn’t be drawn until 2021. No elections would be impacted until 2022.
The League of Women Voters joined this week with the ACLU to file a federal lawsuit against Ohio for its current Congressional map, which was drawn entirely by Republicans in secret in 2011. The groups seek for that map to get thrown out, and for a new map to be drawn as soon as possible.
Catherine Turcer with Common Cause Ohio has worked for decades on redistricting, and says she already knows her next target.
“It’s really clear to me that people want to follow the money,” Turcer says. “They want to understand who’s influencing elections. And I think the next batter up is dark money.”
The Ohio Environmental Council also worked on redistricting reform, and says it’ll be focused on clean energy issues.
