LINES DRAWN

Ohio Voters Approve Measure to Rein In Gerrymandering

Changes state constitution to limit excessive partisanship in congressional map-making.

Ohio voters approved a referendum Tuesday that would change the way its congressional districts are drawn, in an effort to limit excessive partisan gerrymandering. The measure, known as Issue 1, amends the Ohio state constitution to provide four different pathways to create congressional districts with “significant safeguards” to prevent overly partisan map-making, such as like requiring 50 percent of votes from the minority vote in a supermajority and a bipartisan commission for approval of the map. Issue 1 had bipartisan support in the state legislature, and the changes will go into effect in the next round of redistricting in 2021.