Statement Against Gerrymandering by the Ohio Redistricting Commission
Press Release | October 31, 2025
Following the Ohio Redistricting Commission vote to approve congressional maps, Abortion Forward Executive Director Kellie Copeland issued the following statement:
“Today was a devastating day for democracy in Ohio. This morning, the Ohio Redistricting Commission approved the congressional districts map which will be in effect through 2031, further gerrymandering our state. This action unconstitutionally tilts the outcome of future elections to provide anti-abortion Republicans with more seats in Congress. Rigging our maps in Republicans’ favor provides Trump with more votes for his dangerous and harmful policies.
“This is an alarming development in the ongoing battle to ensure our voices are heard in government. Ohioans deserve politicians who represent us, not rule us.”
On how gerrymandering impacts issues like abortion, Copeland continued:
“There is no clearer example of the impact of gerrymandering than the struggle to protect the fundamental right to abortion in Ohio. In November 2023, 57 percent of voters approved the Ohio Reproductive Freedom Amendment, enshrining reproductive freedom in the Ohio Constitution. Why did the voters have to do that? Because for over a decade the gerrymandered Ohio Legislature had been going against their will, enacting more than 30 bans and restrictions on abortion. Not only did voters have to go to the ballot, collecting hundreds of thousands of signatures, to get the measure qualified to appear on the ballot, but the same voters had to come out and vote in a special election just months before the November election to fight back a legislatively created constitutional amendment solely focused on making the November election impossible to win.”
Copeland concluded:
“According to the US and Ohio Constitutions, we have a representative democracy. The people have a fundamental right to elect individuals to represent the needs of our communities in government. Unfortunately, states like Ohio have strayed from this foundational principle, creating district boundaries not based upon representation, but biased to a single party to win elections. People should pick their representatives, not the other way around. Without representation, we have no democracy.”
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Pro-Choice Ohio is now Abortion Forward. In May of 2024, Pro-Choice Ohio announced a new name as we continue pursuing our mission of protecting reproductive freedom, including policies that protect abortion access. To expand and protect abortion access, we use the political process to champion policy changes, mobilize activists and voters, and endorse and support elected officials working to protect bodily autonomy.
