Ohio Republicans steamrolling over fundamental voting rights to suppress Black voices

Jeniece L. Brock is policy and advocacy director with the Ohio Organizing Collaborative.

In states across the country, we have seen organizers passionately advocate for equitable and fair maps.

And we have seen legislatures flout the will of people (and the courts), and either drag their feet in creating fair maps, or submit maps that are knowingly unconstitutional. In Alabama, the Supreme Court ruled in June 2023 that the state’s maps were unfair to Black residents, ordering the state to draw new maps. Alabama has refused.

In Louisiana, the Supreme Court sent a challenge to the state’s congressional map back to a lower court that had already ordered the state to draw a second majority-minority district that accounts for Black population growth.

The state has yet to comply.

More:New maps would give GOP more of an advantage. Would the Ohio Supreme Court prevent it?

And here in Ohio, the Ohio Supreme Court has on five occasions ruled the redistricting maps unconstitutional.

Last week, Republican legislative leaders once again drew maps that were devoid of citizen input and opposed by Democratic members on the political commission.

Why is gerrymandering bad for Ohioans?

When it comes to Black voters being able to make their voices heard and to elect representatives of their choice, it’s critical to have strong enforceable checks against manipulative gamesmanship that hold politicians accountable.

Raw exercise of political power cannot steamroll fundamental voting rights, not just to ensure that Black people can have an equal shot at electing preferred candidates, but to preserve democracy itself.

Our democracy cannot stand when politicians gerrymander, carving up communities and selecting their voters to lock in election outcomes a decade at a time.

More:Could "snake-on-the-lake" re-emerge from well-meaning attempt at fair districts?

If our government is by the people and for the people, voters must be able to select their representatives in fair elections using fair maps.

Our democracy cannot survive when politicians openly and defiantly disregard court orders. Our democracy cannot stand when people feel that they cannot trust their elected leaders to do the right thing.

For our part, we know there is no excuse for the redistricting commission’s obstinance.

How can redistricting be fixed in Ohio?

Our partners with the Ohio Citizens Redistricting Commission went through a robust and citizen-led process to develop fair maps. Over a four-month period, the commission held hearings in every region of the state. The virtual hearings collected testimony from thousands of citizens and did so without updated census data.

The commission then developed maps and shared those maps via statewide media and social media to receive even more public comment and input. The maps were drawn based on constitutional requirements, citizen-derived principles of redistricting, and an aggregation of a wide variety of preferences that came out of public input.

This process offered a road map.

It also demonstrated that we do not have to accept a recalcitrant legislature. Citizens have the desire, intellect, and time to lead in redistricting. The process demonstrated that it was indeed possible to craft maps that include the perspective of ordinary Ohioans.

They proved that the process could be equitable to Black people while benefiting all Ohioans. We urged the political leaders drawing Ohio’s maps for the fifth time to consider fairly drawn maps like those produced by the OCRC as an alternative starting point.

If politicians can continue disregarding the state constitution’s requirement that districts be drawn to reflect Ohio voters and the needs of Ohioans, it is weakening our democracy and destroying the prospect of trust in our entire legislature. While all Ohio citizens suffer, we know the effects are felt more by certain communities.

Black voters are disproportionately impacted by gerrymandering and restrictive voter laws that suppress ballot access and make it harder to participate in elections. All elected leaders should ensure that all people can vote and elect their preferred candidates.

And we will not grow weary in our work to push back.

What politicians seek to impose – in terms of the latest maps – is not what the Ohio constitution requires and is inconsistent with a healthy democracy that puts the public interest ahead of that of politicians and political operatives. We will continue the fight for an Ohio that is responsive to all her people.  

Jeniece L. Brock is policy and advocacy director with the Ohio Organizing Collaborative.