6.19 Drawing Legislative Districts

Under the Ohio Constitution, the seven-member Ohio Redistricting Commission is responsible for dividing Ohio into Senate and House districts every ten years. This coincides with the release of national census data, and the commission redraws district maps to reflect population changes. We call the redrawing process reapportionment. The Commission is composed of the Governor, the Auditor of State, the Secretary of State, a person chosen by the Speaker of the House, a person chosen by the Minority Leader of the House, a person chosen by the President of the Senate, and a person chosen by the Minority Leader of the Senate.

The Commission draws lines dividing the state into 33 Senate and 99 House districts. Given Ohio’s 2020 census population of 11,799,448 people, the ideal population of a state House district is 119,186, while the ideal population of a Senate district is 357,559. The ideal populations are known technically as ratios of representation.

In drawing districts, the Commission must follow procedures to keep counties, municipal corporations, and townships together. And the Commission must attempt to create a district plan that (1) is not drawn primarily to favor or disfavor a political party, (2) corresponds closely to the statewide partisan preferences of Ohio voters, and (3) includes compact districts. If a federal court or the Ohio Supreme Court invalidates the redistricting plan, the Commission is required to meet and prepare a new plan.

Reference

Ohio Legislative Service Commission. 2023. Chapter 2 – The Legislative Branch in A Guidebook for Ohio Legislators. Columbus, OH, pp. 19-20.