COLUMBUS, Ohio — Voting rights groups filed three separate legal objections to the newly-passed legislative maps, ahead of Tuesday's midnight deadline.

What You Need To Know

  • The National Redistricting Action Fund, ACLU Ohio and Ohio Organizing Collaborative are asking the Ohio Supreme Court to once again strike down the latest proposals after they say it favors Republicans and not the voters

  • The League of Women Voters of Ohio is listed as the plaintiff in the case filed by the ACLU of Ohio

  • The maps that were passed give Republicans the advantage in 57 of 99 districts in the Ohio House and 20 of 33 districts in the Ohio Senate

The National Redistricting Action Fund, ACLU Ohio and Ohio Organizing Collaborative are asking the Ohio Supreme Court to once again strike down the latest proposals after they say Republicans on the Ohio Redistricting Commission passed maps that do not match voters’ preferences.

The League of Women Voters of Ohio is listed as the plaintiff in the case filed by the ACLU of Ohio. Jen Miller, the executive director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio, said after the Ohio Supreme Court told the commission how to fix the maps, the Republicans on the commission came up short again.

"Our response is that these are still unduly gerrymandered. They are still rigged to favor the Republican Party candidates — not voters, but Republican Party candidates unfairly," said Miller. 

The maps that were passed give Republicans the advantage in 57 of 99 districts in the Ohio House and 20 of 33 districts in the Ohio Senate. Combined, that equates to 58% of statewide representation. However, Republicans have only received 54% of the vote in statewide races over the last 10 years.​

"How these maps are drawn directly impact who represents Ohio voters in the Ohio Statehouse, and let's keep in mind that we are affected every day by the policies that Ohio lawmakers enact," Miller said.

"Redistricting and lawsuits go together. It's sort of like the night follows the day, so it was expected that that would happen," said Ohio House Speaker Robert Cupp, R-Lima.

When asked if he was confident the maps will hold up in court, Cupp responded, "Well, one can never predict what a court would do. We did the best job that we can under the circumstances."

The Ohio Supreme Court will have to decide if the maps are constitutional as the clock ticks closer toward the Feb. 2 filing deadline for candidates. Ohio House Speaker Robert Cupp and Minority Leader-elect Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, have two different schools of thought.

"Moving the primary election date is very disruptive, and so that would be an absolute, absolute last resort," Cupp said.

"I frankly support moving the petition date. There really is no reason why we shouldn't be considering moving it to the same date as the congressional races," said Russo.

That congressional filing date is currently set for March 4.​ Meanwhile, the last decision on the legislative maps was 4-3 with Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor joining the three liberals on the bench. Miller said she is counting on those same four to come through for Ohioans again.

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