Ohio Issue 1, the Congressional Redistricting Procedures Amendment, was a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on the May 8, 2018 ballot in Ohio. The ballot measure was approved with 74.89% of the vote.
The proposal appeared on the ballot as follows:[2]
To amend the version of Section 1 of Article XI that is scheduled to take effect January 1, 2021, and to enact Sections 1, 2, and 3 of Article XIX of the Constitution of the State of Ohio to establish a process for congressional redistricting.
A majority yes vote is necessary for the amendment to pass.The proposed amendment would:
- End the partisan process for drawing congressional districts, and replace it with a process with the goals of promoting bipartisanship, keeping local communities together, and having district boundaries that are more compact.
- Ensure a transparent process by requiring public hearings and allowing public submission of proposed plans.
- Require the General Assembly or the Ohio Redistricting Commission to adopt new congressional districts by a bipartisan vote for the plan to be effective for the full 10-year period.
- Require that if a plan is adopted by the General Assembly without significant bipartisan support, it cannot be effective for the entire 10-year period and must comply with explicit antigerrymandering requirements.
If passed, the amendment will become effective immediately.
The amendment was approved in a landslide, with 74.89% of the vote.