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Commission debates switching ward metric from registered voters to population, with guardrails urged
Summary
Commissioners debated replacing a registered‑voter basis for ward boundaries with a population metric tied to the federal census and a trigger (suggested 20% disparity) to avoid frequent mid‑cycle redraws; city attorney to draft language referencing the 2030 census and ordinance timing.
The commission spent an extended portion of its meeting debating whether to change Gahanna’s ward‑drawing metric from registered voters to population (residents), and how to do so without creating mid‑cycle redistricting risks.
Commissioner Wester presented research showing that most peer communities use population — often the federal census — and recommended linking any change to the 2030 census and including a statistically significant threshold (she proposed 20%) that would trigger a redistricting. Wester explained that a 20% trigger mirrors language used in other Ohio charters and would create guardrails to prevent frequent or politically motivated small adjustments.
Resident Michael Schnedzer urged caution about relying on 2020 census data, citing Government Accountability Office findings that Ohio had statistically significant coverage errors in that enumeration. Schnedzer recommended three options: retain the registered‑voter metric; change to residents without guidance (risking mid‑cycle redraws); or, the preferred approach, change the metric but define the data source, set an effective date tied to 2030, and specify thresholds that will trigger a redraw.
Commissioners voiced concern about timing (petition deadlines and the board of elections’ approval process), the administrative burden of frequent redistricting, and the scale of population differences in Gahanna wards (examples cited ranged roughly 8,100–9,200 residents). Several commissioners expressed support for revising the draft to reference the 2030 census, add a disparity threshold, and include an ordinance timetable so changes take effect ahead of petition filing deadlines.
The commission directed the city attorney to prepare revised language reflecting those guardrails and to provide any relevant code changes that would be needed to align municipal ordinances with a charter amendment.
