COLUMBUS, Ohio — Multiple voting rights groups filed legal objections with the Ohio Supreme Court on Monday in regards to the newly-passed legislative maps.

The groups are asking the Ohio Supreme Court to strike down the latest proposals after they say Republicans on the Ohio Redistricting Commission not only passed maps late and without Democratic input, but they did so in direct contradiction to what the court asked them to do.

The three objections were filed by the League of Women Voters of Ohio, the National Democratic Redistricting Committee and the Ohio Organizing Collaborative for the third time.

Republicans on the commission, who drew the maps without the Democrats, said the maps favor them in 54% of Ohio House and Senate districts, which lines up with how Ohioans have voted over the last 10 years.

The plaintiffs and Democrats argue there are 26 Democratic-leaning districts that tilt their way by three points or less, and no Republican competitive districts.​

Auditor Keith Faber, R-Ohio, voted against the maps because he felt they were gerrymandered to unfairly favor Democrats.

"This entire process has shown that politicians can't be making our maps, because they will use every tool in their toolbox to gerrymander Ohio Senate, Ohio House and congressional districts for their own personal gain,” said Jen Miller, Executive Director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio. “The Ohio Supreme Court, the Ohio Constitution and voters deserve respect and that's not what we're seeing from the majority party at this time.”

Two of the groups want the court to adopt a plan drawn by Stanford University professor Jonathan Rodden, favoring Republicans in 59% of Statehouse districts, but would have fewer toss-up districts. If not, they said the court could move the process to federal courts or appoint an independent special master to work with the commission.

The groups also said the Ohio Supreme Court should find the commission in contempt of court and delay the May 3 primary. The commission has until Thursday morning to respond. Then, the court will have to decide if the maps are constitutional as the calendar moves closer toward the primary election.​

On Friday, the court postponed the contempt of court hearing for the commissioners for failing to meet the court's Feb. 17 deadline to adopt new map, and on Saturday, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, R-Ohio, a commissioner who voted in favor of the maps, ordered counties to include general assembly and congressional candidates on the primary ballot in accordance with how the maps look now without the court's approval.

The general assembly has refused to move back the primary and LaRose has said he wants a unified primary. The legislative maps are under litigation and not been finalized. The congressional map that LaRose said candidates should keep in mind when filing is a map the court already declared unconstitutional.

LaRose's decision received a lot of attention over the weekend especially on Twitter.

"We have an election to run,” House Majority Floor Leader Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati. “This court charade has gone on long enough. Red wave coming and GOP supermajority will be retained."

The tweet is being used against the Ohio Redistricting Commission in the latest objections filed. 

Spectrum News 1 Legal Analyst Rory Riley-Topping said what LaRose did was premature.

​"It's an ill-advised strategy to move forward with that kind of brazen overconfidence in the maps that have been produced when we've had so many issues in the process up until this point,” said Riley-Topping. “I think that it would have been more advisable to wait for the courts to sign off and final decision before moving forward with those primary districts.”

With the uncertainty around legislative and congressional redistricting, the future is almost impossible for county boards of elections to juggle and predict.

The Ohio Association of Election Officials wrote a letter to Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, on Monday saying its "ability to administer a fair and accurate election has been compromised" because both redistricting processes are unresolved and "the result will likely be mistakes in the election."

The association wants the general assembly to move back the primary. Military members overseas need their ballots by March 18. LaRose has requested the federal government grant the state a waiver on the deadline.

Last week, LaRose told Huffman it was impossible to see a scenario to hold a complete May 3 primary but flip flopped over the weekend.

"Ohio General Assembly needs to move the primary back. Unfortunately, we have a situation where the Ohio General Assembly is using the tight primary deadline as an excuse for passing gerrymandered maps,” said Miller. “And so we have a problem where the Ohio General Assembly is creating the problem and then using it to justify passing gerrymandered maps.” ​

As for the congressional redistricting process, the Ohio Redistricting Commission will meet Tuesday to discuss a new map. The commission ​will allow anyone who completes and submits a plan to testify.

March 1, 2022 Editor's Note: The previous version of this story stated the commissioners failed to meet the Feb. 7 deadline. This has been corrected to say Feb. 17.