COLUMBUS, Ohio — A coalition of nonpartisan redistricting advocates and experts is calling for more transparency and accountability from the Ohio Redistricting Commission.
The commission missed its first legal deadline to approve new maps for the General Assembly on Wednesday.
"Missing deadlines shows a disregard for the Ohio Constitution," said Jen Miller with the League of Women Voters.
Miller, who teamed up with Catherine Turcer of Common Cause Ohio to create Fair Districts Ohio, said she is concerned the commission is not going about its business the way voters want.
"We are frustrated that the Ohio Redistricting Commission and the Ohio General Assembly did not do its homework before the census data came,” Miller said. “We are certainly concerned that deadlines have already been missed and that there seems to be the chance of more deadlines being missed, both for state House and congressional mapmaking. But we call on mapmakers to right the ship now.”
Ohioans were supposed to have been able to participate in hearings and have seen the commission's first legislative map by Wednesday. That did not happen. House Speaker Robert Cupp, R-Lima, who co-chairs the commission, blamed it on the U.S. Census Bureau being four months late with its data.
"The fact that we have no plan and no clarity on the process even how the Republicans and the Democrats on the commission are going to work together to me says is not a good excuse," said Miller.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, R-Ohio, said he is well aware of the missed deadline
His Constitutional Offices Section Chief Bridget Coontz said, "Given the constitutional amendment voters approved, the commission is within the window to create a final general assembly district plan.”
Cupp has said the commission itself will not be drawing its own maps. Instead, he wants four maps from the Democratic and Republican caucuses in the Ohio House and Ohio Senate to submit General Assembly maps for the commission to consider. Senate Democrats are the only ones to release its maps to the public so far. Fair Districts Ohio said it will not endorse the map, but its experts have determined it is legal.
"These maps serve as very strong starting point. Again, highly proportional, representational fairness. They comply with jurisdictional split requirements. These maps can provide a basis or a benchmark for moving forward. We'll see what the commission wants to do," said Chris Cusack, Professor Emeritus of Geography at Keene State College.
The next legal deadline, which is also supposed to be a hard deadline, is 12 days away and there is no set schedule for hearings or when we could see more maps. Turcer said the lack of transparency could lay the groundwork for a lawsuit down the road.
"I have faith that, if they choose to, they can actually sort this out. They can. It's just that they need to do it ASAP and what they need to know is that we're all watching," said Turcer.
Fair Districts Ohio is also giving a $1,000 to the person who the group’s leaders say draws the best state House and state Senate district maps and $750 for the best congressional district map.
Legislative maps must be submitted by Monday and the congressional map by Sept, 15 so they can be passed on to the commission.