Ohio Establishment of Reapportionment and Redistricting Commission Initiative (1981)

Ohio Establishment of Reapportionment and Redistricting Commission Initiative
Election date November 3, 1981
Topic Redistricting policy
Status Defeated
Type Initiated constitutional amendment	Origin Citizens

Ohio Establishment of Reapportionment and Redistricting Commission Initiative was on the ballot as an initiated constitutional amendment in Ohio on November 3, 1981. It was defeated.

A "yes" vote supported abolishing the present methods of establishing general assembly and congressional districts, creating the Commission for Reapportionment and Redistricting, and requiring the commission to approve the plan which is most compact.

A "no" vote opposed abolishing the present methods of establishing general assembly and congressional districts, creating the Commission for Reapportionment and Redistricting, and requiring the commission to approve the plan which is most compact.

Election results

Ohio Establishment of Reapportionment and Redistricting Commission Initiative
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		1,093,485	41.94%
No		1,513,502	58.06%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for Establishment of Reapportionment and Redistricting Commission Initiative was as follows:

“

To amend Section 2 of Article II of the Constitution of the State of Ohio and repeal existing Article XI and adopt a new Article XI of the Constitution of the State of Ohio. This proposed amendment would: Abolish the present methods of establishing general assembly and congressional districts, and create the Commission for Reapportionment and Redistricting. Require the governor to divide townships, municipal corporations, federal census tracts, and enumeration districts whose population exceeds 5,000; and make geographic and census data available to the public. Allow anyone to submit plans for congressional and general assembly districts to the commission. Require each district created by a plan to be composed of contiguous territory and bounded by a single, nonintersecting, continuous line with no requirement that plans preserve geographic integrity of any existing county or any township, municipal corporation, federal census tract, or enumeration district containing a population in excess of 5,000. Require the commission to determine whether plans submitted meet standards of population equality. Require the commission to adopt from among the qualifying plans for congressional and general assembly districts those plans that are most compact, unless rejected by unanimous vote of the commission. Shall the proposed amendment be adopted?

”

Path to the ballot

See also: Signature requirements for ballot measures in Ohio

An initiated constitutional amendment is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that amends a state's constitution. Eighteen (18) states allow citizens to initiate constitutional amendments.

In Ohio, the number of signatures required for an initiated constitutional amendment is equal to 10% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election. A simple majority vote is required for voter approval.

Ohio also requires initiative sponsors to submit 1,000 signatures with the initial petition application. Ohio has a signature distribution requirement, which requires that signatures be gathered from at least 44 of Ohio's 88 counties. Petitioners must gather signatures equal to a minimum of half the total required percentage of the gubernatorial vote in each of the 44 counties. Petitions are allowed to circulate for an indefinite period of time. Signatures are due 125 days prior to the general election that proponents want the initiative on.

See also

1981 Measures

• 1981 Measures
• Redistricting policy on the ballot
• 1981 legislative sessions

Ohio

• Ohio ballot measures
• Ohio ballot measure laws

News and analysis

• Ballot measure lawsuits
• Ballot measure readability
• Ballot measure polls

External links

• Cleveland State University Law Library, "Ohio Constitution - Law and History: Table of Proposed Amendments," June 2, 2023