How redrawing congressional districts can affect results

Spectrum News turned to a University of Cincinnati political science expert to explain the stakes of new congressional map the Ohio General Assembly is preparing for the 2026 elections.

The map decides the geographic boundaries for each of Ohio's 15 districts, traditionally after the U.S. Census reapportions districts by state population every 10 years. The districts can be apportioned based on geography, common economic interests and other factors. And how they are drawn can significantly advantage a particular party, known as gerrymandering.

UC College of Arts and Sciences Professor David Niven said gerrymandering sometimes creates districts that have less in common economically or geographically.

“Four runs all the way from the outskirts of the Cleveland metropolitan area all the way over to the outskirts of the Dayton metropolitan area, and the problem with that, of course, is the folks at either end of these districts don’t have a heck a lot in common,” Niven told Spectrum News.

Niven teaches political science in UC's School of Public and International Affairs. He said more states are opting to put the task of drawing up maps in the hands of an independent commission. Ohio voters rejected such a proposal in November.

“States including Michigan and Colorado have chosen to use an independent redistricting commission, which basically means two things: One, politicians don’t draw their own lines and two, those commissions are balanced by parties so that neither party can choose the map.”

Watch the Spectrum News story.

Featured image at top: UC Professor David Niven is following Ohio's congressional redistricting for 2026. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC