COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Lawmakers are on a time crunch to decide the fate of the state's legislative maps.
The Ohio Redistricting Commission will oversee the maps that will be used to split legislative districts for next year’s election. It's the first time the lawmakers are convening this year, and they have less than 10 days to approve the new maps under an advisory by Ohio's Secretary of State Frank LaRose.
What You Need To Know
- Ohio's Redistricting Commission will convene for the first time this year to address Ohio's legislative maps
- The maps used last year were deemed to be unconstitutional by the Ohio Supreme Court
- If the maps receive bipartisan approval, then they will be valid until the next census. But, if the maps pass with a simple partisan majority then Ohio state maps are only valid for a total of two general elections
Lawmakers are heading back to the drawing board to set new state maps because of the last ones being deemed as unconstitutional. The politicians need to look at the maps which are already in place. However, it is unclear if they will start fresh on drawing new legislative maps, or change the temporary ones that are in place at the moment.
Redistricting has been a topic of concern across Ohio. During last year’s map-making process, the Ohio Supreme Court was led by former Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor who rejected the maps. O’Connor is no longer in her previous position, and Chief Justice Sharon Kennedy took her spot.
In order for the state maps to be approved until the next census, they will need to have Democratic support. So, lawmakers from both parties say creating fair maps is key to settling the issue and have long-term maps in place.
“I think we will get a good map for Ohio,” said Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens, R-Kitts Hill. “I would like to see it happen for eight years. So we don’t have to talk about redistricting for a while. We can focus on policy and all that stuff. So we’ll see what comes about.”
“Are we following the constitution?” asked House Minority Leader Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington. “Are we providing fair districts to the voters of Ohio what they have demanded twice? And we have got an obligation to do that, and so I’m committed to working to try to achieve that.”
The commission in under a tight deadline to get a completed set of maps decided. The Secretary of State advised them to complete a final set of maps by Sept. 22, 2023 in order for next year’s election to run smoothly.