Ohio Redistricting Commission

The Ohio Redistricting Commission is a seven-member body that redraws the state's legislative and congressional district maps after each census. Ohio voters created and expanded it through 2015 and 2018 constitutional amendments meant to curb Gerrymandering, but partisan officeholders still hold the pen — which is why the commission's work has produced a decade of legal fights and, in October 2025, a surprise unanimous congressional map.

What it is

A commission of statewide officers and legislative appointees, not an independent citizens' panel. Its maps are constitutionally supposed to reward bipartisan agreement: a map passed without minority-party support carries a shortened four-year term instead of the full decade, so the majority faces a redo if it goes it alone.

Composition and powers

• Seven members: the Governor, State Auditor, and Secretary of State, plus four legislative appointees — one each by the Speaker, the House minority leader, the Senate President, and the Senate minority leader. At least two members come from the minority party.
• 2015 amendment (about 71% yes): created the commission for General Assembly districts, replacing a five-member apportionment board.
• May 8, 2018 amendment: extended a bipartisan commission process to congressional districts.

Key facts and dates

• 2022 congressional map: passed on a party-line vote, lacked bipartisan support, and so had to be redrawn before 2026 — see Ohio 2025 Congressional Redistricting.
• Oct. 31, 2025: the commission adopted a new congressional map by unanimous, bipartisan vote. Republicans could have pushed a 13-2 map through the Ohio General Assembly by simple majority but agreed under the threat of a public referendum.
• The map shifts the delegation from 10-5 to a potential 12-3 Republican advantage by voter index, leaves several districts competitive, and remains in effect through 2031.
• Nov. 2024: the "Citizens Not Politicians" amendment (Issue 1) — which would have replaced the politician-run commission with a 15-member independent citizens commission — was defeated at the ballot, leaving map-drawing with elected partisans.

Relationships

• Overlaps the executive: three commissioners (Governor, Auditor, Secretary of State) are statewide officers whose seats are on the 2026 ballot.
• The Ballot Board wrote the contested "require gerrymandering" summary that framed the 2024 Citizens Not Politicians measure for voters.

Why it matters in 2026

• The commission's maps set the terrain for every Ohio General Assembly and U.S. House race in Ohio through 2031; the 2025 map favors Republicans 12-3 in a roughly even state.
• With the independent-commission route rejected in 2024, the partisan commission is the only map-drawer Ohio has — and its balance depends on who wins the statewide offices in 2026.