COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Redistricting Commission will not approve a new congressional district map before an Oct. 31 deadline, according to Ohio House Speaker Robert Cupp, R-Lima.

"I think it's apparent that it's not going to be possible," Cupp said Tuesday.

Cupp said not to expect a new congressional district map from the Ohio Redistricting Commission because the census data was late.

"It delayed the state legislative district maps and now the folks that were working on those on the Republican side are involved in a variety of support and information and involved in the litigation," Cupp said.

A lawsuit before the Ohio Supreme Court over the legislative maps sheds new light on how the maps were passed.

Court documents contain text messages between Secretary of State Frank LaRose, R-Ohio, and his chief of staff, Merle Madrid. LaRose questioned the rationale behind the maps calling it "asinine." LaRose went on to say that he should vote against them.

However, Madrid responded, "It will be cited in court against the GOP. Probably not worth it."

The maps were passed the next morning with LaRose siding with the rest of the Republicans on the commission.

A spokesperson for LaRose told Spectrum News he had no further comment.

"I was incredibly disappointed in the secretary because he was following his gut and he understood that the explanations that the maps weren't good. He understood how bad things were, and he still chose not to follow his conscience but to vote for an unfair map," said Catherine Turcer with Common Cause Ohio.

Meanwhile, as the redistricting process heads back to the state legislature, Ohio House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes, D-Akron, is calling for lawmakers to take steps so the state legislature may hit the ground running when it takes over Nov. 1.

Sykes sent a letter Monday to Cupp and Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, asking for a joint legislative committee to meet no later than Nov. 4, details of how many officials will be appointed to the committee, details for the congressional plan to be released by Nov. 10 and a public hearing schedule to be released with hearings beginning no later than Nov. 15.​

"Looking at prior history of the commission not being prepared and asking questions and figuring things out as we go, I suggested that before we get to it, before it comes to the General Assembly, we should spend the time figuring out these basic details that are constitutionally mandated," said Sykes.

According to the constitutional reforms passed in 2018, the legislature must create a joint committee to hear testimony on two occasions on a proposed map. ​​Cupp said an announcement on that and other things are still being "mapped out."

The state legislature, which went first in the congressional redistricting process, already missed its first constitutionally-mandated deadline in September.

Turcer said she is not optimistic the congressional process will be any better than the legislative process.

"I assume that they are being worked on behind closed doors, but we can't see what's actually happening,” said Turcer. “I assume that they're checking in with members of Congress. I assume they're checking in with people who might want to run for Congress. That is not how this process should work. These maps are created for voters of Ohio. These are voting districts, and we deserve better.”

The Ohio Redistricting Commission will meet Thursday morning at 10 a.m. to go over maps that have already been proposed. Cupp said there will not be a Republican map introduced nor will any maps get approved.

As far as the General Assembly's role to approve a 10-year map, 60% of lawmakers in the House and Senate and a third of the Democratic caucus in each chamber must support it. If not, there will be a four-year map.​

The deadline is Nov. 30.