A group plans to go to the Columbus city clerk's office Wednesday to submit a charter amendment proposal to change how city council members are elected.
The group wants to redraw Columbus City Council district lines and ensure that only voters in each of the nine newly drawn districts can determine who represents them.
The current system began just four years ago after voters approved it in 2018. There are nine districts. But voters across the entire city get to vote for the members who represent each district.
This past November, Tiara Ross won the District 7 seat which includes Downtown Columbus and surrounding areas, because she won the citywide vote. Within the district, more voters cast their votes for her opponent, Jesse Vogel.
The group asking for the changes includes leaders in the Black community who still want nine districts but with different boundaries than the current nine boundaries.
Those districts would include two majority Black council districts, one majority-minority council district, and one district that is 47% minority.
One of the group's leaders, Jonathan Beard, announced the effort with other Black community leaders. In a statement, Beard said that "the current Fake District lines were drawn for citywide elections and they are all majority white and likely would not comply with Voting Rights Act of 1965 requirements for district elections that support the voting power of residents in geographically concentrated minority communities.
"We see this time and time again: politicians can not be trusted to draw competitive districts – they need to use the people’s map," Beard said.
Kate Curry-Da-Souza, who ran in the District 7 primary last year, favors the change too. She said in a statement, "Tomorrow our community will discover its voice has not been dormant. This voice amplifies a movement and need for true representation.
"Community requires accountability for all and transparent movement away from the inequitable 'Columbus Way,'" she said.
In an interview Tuesday, Curry-Da-Souza said the new districts would represent neighborhoods with similar interests in those districts.
"People are worried about not having a voice," Curry-Da-Souza said.
Four of City Council's nine members are Black, including Ross and Council President Shannon Hardin.
After filing the petition with the clerk, the city council and city attorney will review it.
If it is approved by council and then the city attorney, the group can circulate the petitions for signatures. About 13,000 registered Columbus voters are needed to put the issue on the ballot for a vote.
The plans to gather signatures over the summer to get the proposal on the November ballot.
