Cleveland City Council Ward Redistricting
Published on 12/10/2024
December 10, 2024
Dear Cleveland City Council,
The League of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland and its Cleveland Chapter encourage the Cleveland City Council to engage in a transparent ward redistricting process with time for meaningful public input. It is positive that a draft map will be released this afternoon as it is important for citizens to have the opportunity to see the proposed map and give input before City Council votes.
Since the 2020 Census, Cleveland City Council has known that it would need to reduce the number of wards from 17 to 15. The delay in creating a map has led to an urgency now that the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections needs the map in January 2025. The League of Women Voters asks that this sense of urgency not deter City Council from providing reasonable time for meaningful feedback from the community. This map will be used for the next ten years and the process should not be rushed.
Every member of Council voted for a resolution supporting Issue 1— the statewide effort to take Ohio redistricting out of the hands of politicians. This dedication to fair maps should also be reflected in the ward redistricting process. LWVGC encourages City Council to sign the Fair Maps Pledge at fairmapspledge.com.
The League of Women Voters believes that democratic government depends upon informed and active participation at all levels of government. Transparency is a key tenet of good government. Broad public participation at every stage of government decision-making ensures that government acts in the public interest.
The League of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland calls on the Council to engage in a transparent ward redistricting process with reasonable time for meaningful public input.
Sincerely,
Lisa Cech and Nadia Zaiem
Co-Presidents, League of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland