Civil rights groups throughout the state have endorsed the proposed Ohio Issue 1 redistricting reform and argued in favor of it during a town hall held Tuesday night.

In a press conference Tuesday, members of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus, along with a voter advocate from the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, spoke of Issue 1 redistricting reform as a way forward for communities of color and the state as a whole.

Opponents of Ohio’s Issue 1 redistricting reform claim it would be bad for communities of color. Supporters of the proposal to replace politicians with a citizens commission point to the ways the current maps crack and pack Black voters.

Two members from Michigan’s independent citizens redistricting commission stand on opposite sides of the campaign for the Issue 1 ballot initiative that would establish a similar commission in Ohio by removing politicians from the process of drawing districts.

At an Ohio Issue 1 forum Wednesday, both sides criticized Ohio’s current redistricting system, but supporters of the proposed amendment said it would stop gerrymandering by removing politicians from the process, while opponents said it would create other problems.

Ohio voter advocates say gerrymandering robs voters of power, and fair maps mean more bipartisanship from lawmakers and district maps that are actually logical and representative.

As Issue 1 heads to the polls in November, the process of redistricting will once again be decided by the voters. Redistricting doesn’t just decide the makeup of districts for state and congressional senators and representatives, but also the way in which those lawmakers are responsive to their constituency, and in turn, what policies and issues get the spotlight in Ohio.

The justices elected to the Ohio Supreme Court in 2024 will be the ones deciding on any challenges to new maps if Ohio voters pass the proposed Issue 1 anti-gerrymandering amendment this November.

Ohio House Democrats announced plans on Thursday to introduce a resolution that would give legislative support to November’s Issue 1, the proposed constitutional amendment to reform the state’s redistricting process by replacing politician mapmakers with citizens.

The heads of prominent civil rights and anti-discrimination groups, along with faith-based groups, have joined a list of supporters of Ohio Issue 1, which would reform the redistricting process by replacing politicians with citizen commissioners.

Over the objections of its Democratic members, the Ohio Ballot Board approved minor changes Wednesday to the ballot language for Issue 1.

Six of eight contested provisions in ballot language for a proposed state constitutional amendment to alter the drawing of legislative and congressional districts can remain as is, while two must be revised, the Supreme Court of Ohio ruled Monday.

Abortion was a key talking point in Ohio’s November election last year, and in the special election held one year ago this week.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s office is asking the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas to throw out a lawsuit that would eliminate the state’s six-week abortion ban, just months after saying that said ban would be void if voters chose to legalize and protect access to abortion.

The legislative back-and-forth regarding reproductive rights continues to sow uncertainty in Ohio, but advocates who worked to get a constitutional amendment in place say are ready to continue the fight.