Thanks to Arizona, there is an alternative to allowing elected politicians – focused on their self-interests or those of their party – to draw the congressional district boundaries every 10 years. Arizona voters in 2000 approved a different way. They changed the state constitution to establish an independent commission to do the work. Challenged in the Supreme Court in 2015, the use of an independent commission is now established as a legal alternative. State legislatures do not have to be involved. Perhaps Ohio could learn something from Arizona – ideas that could help Ohio devise a system to draw maps by focusing on the interest of the citizens instead of politicians and their parties.
… In Ohio, the new congressional maps drawn after each census are done so with the approval of the Ohio House, Ohio Senate and the governor.
The Republicans controlled the process the last two times, creating the maps for the 2002-10 and 2012-20 elections. Before then, party power was split; but the boundaries always were drawn by politicians — Democrats or Republicans.
Full Article: What Ohio can learn from Arizona to eliminate gerrymandering: Out of Line – Impact 2017 and Beyond | cleveland.com.