Senator Rob McColley of the Republican state presents a map of the new congressional district, drawn by the Republican Caucus of the Senate.
Andy Chow / Ohio Public Radio
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Andy Chow / Ohio Public Radio
Senator Rob McColley of the Republican state presents a map of the new congressional district, drawn by the Republican Caucus of the Senate.
Andy Chow / Ohio Public Radio
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, a Republican, signed into law the congressional map creating 15 new counties in the state, but anti-sanctions advocates are slamming the map saying it was drawn to keep a Republican stronghold in Ohio.
The plan has 12 seats in favor or in favor of Republicans. That’s 80% of counties in the state that voted for former President Donald Trump with 53% of the vote in 2020.
Voter rights groups say Republican lawmakers have tried to fix the map in a way that gives them an edge.
“It’s filled with weird shapes and squiggly lines,” said Jen Miller, executive director of the Ohio State Federation of Women Voters. “Maps don’t look like this unless you’re trying to ensure a partisan outcome rather than fairly represent the electorate.”
Republicans defending counties say they keep most of Ohio’s largest cities intact and split them up into fewer counties than they did 10 years ago.
There are six counties where the disparity between Republican voters and Democratic voters is less than 10%. But of those six counties, five are still leaning toward the GOP.
“I don’t think we should go into any map-building process and say, ‘Okay, we have to have seven guaranteed on one side and eight guaranteed on the other’,” he said. Republican Senator Rob said. McColley. “I don’t think that’s what the voters want.”
Ohio Regional Redistricting Reform 2018
State lawmakers created the map under a new process passed by Ohio voters in 2018. The change is part of a reform movement to redistrict the area and prevent gerrymandering . A provision in the state’s constitutional amendment says leaders cannot draw a map that is “excessively supportive or unsupportive of a political party or incumbents”.
Democratic Representative Stephanie Howse from Cleveland mocked Republicans during a heated debate on the floor, saying the map ignores the will of voters.
“That’s not what people voted for in May 2018. They deserve better. We need to do better. And we need to thoroughly vote on this mayhem,” Howse said. .
During the same debate, Republican Representative Bill Seitz from Cincinnati said Ohio is trending in the red and that elections are up to any given candidate.
“‘Fairness’, ladies and gentlemen, is in the eye of the beholder,” said Seitz. “We followed the Constitution. We did our duty. We listened to the people. Listening to them does not mean agreeing with them.”
The results of the new map could have national significance. It’s a state that previously had 12 Republicans and 4 Democrats and is likely to project the scale of power in the U.S. House of Representatives by removing two secure Democratic seats and creating a new district. 13th area can be won for GOP.
Ohio has become the latest state to finalize the new map. Democrats in states like Illinois and Maryland have been criticized for proposing maps that favor their party. But new maps around the country have, so far, led to more Republican-safe counties.
Because Ohio’s map does not receive bipartisan support from Democrats, it will only be in effect for four years, instead of the usual 10-year period, another provision of redistricting reform. region 2018.
And supporters say they won’t go down without the fight.
“This map is unconstitutional because it cuts and subdivides communities entirely to support one political party,” Miller said.
The National Redistricting Action Fund, a branch of the National Democratic Redistricting Commission, filed a challenge with the Ohio Supreme Court alleging that the new map violates the state Constitution.
