COLUMBUS, Ohio — On Tuesday, the Ohio Redistricting Commission met publicly for the first time since the Ohio Supreme Court struck down maps the commission passed back in September.
The court said the seven-member panel previously drew maps to unfairly favor Republicans in Ohio House and Senate races and must redraw new ones by Saturday.
Optimism has not exactly been spilling from Gov. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, as he and the rest of the Ohio Redistricting Commission got back together to try and draw fair legislative district maps.
“My goal was to have a bipartisan map that the people of Ohio could have confidence in. Whether we can achieve that, I don’t know that,” said DeWine.
Democrats and Republicans were far apart during the last go around on what was considered fair. The co-chairs of the commission say the parties have been working separately the past couple of days while agreeing to have access to each other’s staffs and use the same data to draw maps.
“When you have a state of 11.5 million people with 99 house districts and untold number of political subdivisions where lines cannot be split, it’s obviously a very complicated process. So but we are moving ahead,” said Co-Chair and Ohio House Speaker Robert Cupp, R-Lima.
The Ohio Supreme Court said the two sides must work together to dissolve the Republican veto-proof supermajority at the Statehouse because Republicans have not earned it. Ohioans have voted roughly 54% for Republicans and 46% for Democrats the last 10 years.
“We’re not starting from scratch. This is a second round of map drawing and we have dozens of examples, dozens of maps that comply with the percentage breakdowns,” said Co-Chair and Sen. Vernon Sykes, D-Akron.
So not only does the commission need to create Ohio House and Senate maps but it needs to do it quickly. Secretary of State Frank LaRose, R-Ohio, was adamant the state is losing time and the ability to be able to hold a primary on time.
“Let me be clear, the General Assembly has ordered me to conduct an election on May 3rd and I am committed to making sure that that happens. But without finality on maps, that starts to become mechanically impossible very soon,” said LaRose during the meeting.
Yet, Cupp shrugged off any changes to the Feb. 2 filing deadline or the May 3 primary to the press.
“That is not in contemplation at this time,” Cupp said.
But if both Democrats can agree with at least two Republicans, we will have 10-year maps. If not, there will be a four-year maps. Ohio House Minority Leader-elect Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, the newcomer to the commission, said it depends on members’ motives.
“I think that if everyone comes into this process in good faith, that we are here to achieve what the court has very clearly laid out, I think that it is possible,” said Russo.
And how the job ultimately gets done remains mostly a mystery which is not making advocates happy.
“I do think voters have the right to be frustrated. The good news is that those voters also approved a reform that we can take this to the Ohio Supreme Court and the Ohio Supreme Court has stood with them in knocking these maps down,” said Jen Miller, director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio.”
While it remains to be seen if the commission can draw maps in time, the public will be able to submit maps through the commission’s website, although there is no word on testimony or when the next meeting will be.
