gerrymandering
House committee approves congressional maps, full House vote Thursday
The Ohio House is set to vote on congressional redistricting maps on Thursday, after a House committee passed the Senate GOP maps 8-5 along partisan lines in a Wednesday hearing. The House Government Oversight Committee heard from state Sen. Rob McColley on Senate Bill 258, the congressional redistricting maps passed by the Senate the day […]
Senate passes congressional map that continues GOP stronghold over state
Ohio Senate Republicans rushed through a congressional redistricting map Tuesday introduced to the public less than 24 hours before. It was passed out of committee 5-2 along partisan lines before being passed by the whole chamber later in the day 24-7, also along partisan lines. The passage came on the same day a committee who […]
Betraying voters, Ohio Senate President Huffman and House Speaker Cupp declare moral bankruptcy
Nearly 75% of Ohio voters reformed the state constitution in 2018 to end gerrymandering and bring about fair, legal U.S. Congressional districts. Instead state Republican legislative leaders hijacked the process, betrayed voters, and have all but declared total moral and ethical bankruptcy in their cynical pursuit of political power at all costs. The behavior of […]
Future of joint redistricting committee and congressional maps unknown
Ending a whirlwind week of testimony before three separate committees, Ohioans pleaded with members of the General Assembly on Friday to consider their wishes in congressional redistricting maps. Some speakers broke down in tears, as others did in a previous redistricting hearing, saying their time volunteering on elections and in the campaign that changed the […]
Redistricting process remains ‘fluid’ in joint committee
The first meeting of Ohio’s joint committee on redistricting included quickly-compiled testimony on transparency and accountability, and little else on how the process will continue. The Senate Democrats presented their map, with some changes they say they made to even out population numbers in the congressional districts, but theirs was the only map the committee […]
Public’s tears and fears come out before redistricting heads to joint committee
The last of the General Assembly’s congressional redistricting public hearings in individual committees are this week, just as a joint committee starts work. In Senate Local Government and Elections Committee on Tuesday, the last scheduled hearings on GOP and Democratic bills to change the congressional district maps in the state occurred, with much of the […]
DeWine, LaRose, Faber: Unmovable forces on both sides foiled redistricting negotiations
Seven decades of political experience couldn’t bring about bipartisan agreement on legislative maps, according to three GOP members of the Ohio Redistricting Commission. Gov. Mike DeWine, Secretary of State Frank LaRose and Auditor Keith Faber have claimed their efforts to “bridge the gap” were fruitless as they said they aimed for a bipartisan, 10-year map […]
Congressional maps get first public scrutiny
Because of the warp-speed introduction of GOP congressional redistricting maps in House and Senate committees yesterday, Thursday’s public testimony was mostly harsh criticism of procedure, though the day wasn’t without specific map criticisms. Dissection of the maps introduced yesterday were similar to those given during the legislative redistricting process, and to those given of maps […]
GOP releases proposed congressional maps preserving their huge advantage
In committee hearings Wednesday, Republican lawmakers in the House and Senate unveiled their plans for new congressional districts. In both cases Democrats complained the maps were shared at the eleventh hour, leaving members unable to properly analyze the proposals before them. Procedural votes along partisan lines and unanswered questions about the drafters’ intent seem to […]
Legislative redistricting lawsuits develop; Dems/GOP move on congressional maps
In a brief last week, the city of Cincinnati told the Ohio Supreme Court they agree with challengers of legislative redistricting maps, saying the city is “home to several of the most aggressively gerrymandered districts in the state of Ohio.” “In each of these areas, Cincinnati residents find that their vote counts for less than […]
Mapmakers: Redistricting commission saw maps before deadline, some sought compromise
In statements connected to lawsuits challenging Ohio’s recently approved legislative redistricting maps, GOP and Democratic mapmakers laid out the process of drawing legislative maps, including which legislative leaders and redistricting commission members met with them along the way. Ray DiRossi, Blake Springhetti and Christopher Glassburn all gave hours-long depositions as part of three lawsuits challenging […]
Redistricting marches toward another passing deadline
Congressional redistricting is still headed for a missed deadline even as the official commission heard proposed maps from advocates and public citizens Thursday morning. Ohio Redistricting Commission co-chairs House Speaker Bob Cupp and state Sen. Vernon Sykes both said they are committed to hearing from the public and conducting several public hearings beyond the one […]