gerrymandering
Legislature on the clock to redraw Ohio’s unconstitutional Congressional district map
As the state awaits the Ohio Supreme Court’s decision on the second round of legislative maps, the state legislature is on a timeline to revise the invalid congressional map as well. The state’s high court decided in a 4-3 decision on Jan. 13 that a congressional map passed by the General Assembly was not valid, […]
Groups say Ohio legislative maps still violate constitution
The newest maps approved by the Ohio Redistricting Commission remain unconstitutional and “grossly disproportionate,” according to objections filed by anti-gerrymandering groups. The ORC now has until Friday to respond to three objections made to maps they adopted in a Saturday meeting last week, according to an Ohio Supreme Court directive released on Wednesday. The League […]
Campaign finance and pay-to-play corruption is also destroying the American Republic
Gerrymandered rigging of district lines to guarantee political party power is not the only thing posing an existential threat to the American Republic. It goes hand-in-hand with a system of campaign finance that allows for massive pay-to-play corruption infecting government. Earlier this week the Ohio Capital Journal published an investigation into findings of immediate jeopardy […]
Deja Vu: Republicans use simple majority to pass 4-year maps
After two more days of discussion and debate, the GOP majority on the Ohio Redistricting Commission adopted four-year legislative maps Saturday night with a 5-2 simple majority, setting up the time table for potential objections and court review. The Ohio Redistricting Commission meeting went into Saturday night after recessing Thursday and not meeting again until […]
Redistricting commission gives glimpse of Franklin, Hamilton county maps as talks continue
The Ohio Redistricting Commission still hasn’t come to a complete agreement on new district maps ordered by the Ohio Supreme Court. But the commission gave an update on the process Thursday, after pushing back their meeting time in an attempt to “see if we can come a little closer” to agreement, according to co-chair state […]
Brennan Center finds widespread gerrymandering in latest round of redistricting
Ohio’s Supreme Court threw out the state’s latest congressional and legislative maps after determining GOP lawmakers used the process to entrench their partisan advantage. A nationwide study from the Brennan Center for Justice suggests they’re far from alone. The think tank’s assessment of redistricting now that about half of states have submitted maps shows that, […]
Is meeting all criteria while drawing fair and constitutional maps impossible? Hardly
In order for redistricting maps to pass Ohio Constitution muster, multiple criteria are in play. In addition to federal requirements under the Voting Rights Act, the state constitution as amended by voters in 2015 and 2018 requires state legislative and U.S. congressional district maps be compact, contiguous, competitive, preserve a certain number of whole counties, […]
Ohio Redistricting Commission begins again after court order
The Ohio Redistricting Commission began anew on Tuesday, though the details of their newest legislative mapping process are still up in the air. In its Tuesday meeting of the ORC, commission co-chairs House Speaker Bob Cupp and state Sen. Vernon Sykes said work to correct problems identified by the Ohio Supreme Court with legislative district […]
Ohio Supreme Court rejects congressional map days after Statehouse maps struck down
In a 4-3 decision, the Ohio Supreme Court struck down the state’s new U.S. Congressional map on Friday, saying three counties in particular were “unduly split” by the Ohio General Assembly. “We hold that the congressional-district plan is invalid in its entirety because it unduly favors the Republican Party and disfavors the Democratic Party in […]
Ohio Supreme Court: Legislative maps unconstitutional
The Ohio Supreme Court sided with challengers of Ohio House and Senate redistricting maps, saying new maps must be drawn within 10 days. In a ruling released Wednesday afternoon, the Supreme Court announced a 4-3 decision, saying the Ohio Redistricting Commission “did not attempt to meet the standards set forth” in the legislative redistricting process […]
Judge puts federal redistricting discrimination suit on hold
A U.S. district court judge put a federal redistricting lawsuit on hold Wednesday, treating a pause for a pair of Mahoning County residents’ discrimination lawsuit as “the most efficient use of judicial resources.” Judge John R. Adams, of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio Eastern Division, said the lawsuit relies on […]
Supreme Court dissenting justices on redistricting mock Ohioans’ rights to judicial review
The argument of the three Republican supreme court justices dissenting against the anti-gerrymandering opinion issued by the court 4-3 Wednesday appears to be: Republican politicians are allowed to rig the game in their favor against the wishes of Ohio voters and in violation of the Ohio Constitution, and the Ohio Supreme Court has no authority […]