You are viewing the "gerrymandering" Archives
Federal court intervenes in Ohio redistricting, orders state to implement unconstitutional district
By: Andy Chow | Statehouse News Bureau
Posted on:
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — Ohio has been ordered by a federal court to implement maps that were found unconstitutional by the Ohio Supreme Court and hold a primary for those candidates on August 2. A three-judge panel from the U.S. District Court’s Southern District of Ohio issued an order Friday for the state… Read More
A timeline of Ohio’s redistricting saga
By: Andy Chow | Statehouse News Bureau
Posted on:
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — An Ohio redistricting process that began in August 2021 to draw new state legislative district maps has seen many twists and turns that eventually entangled all three branches of government. The process to draw Ohio’s 99 House seats and 33 Senate seats, was overhauled by a constitutional amendment approved… Read More
From constitutional reform to crisis, Ohio redistricting saga nears federal intervention
By: Andy Chow | Statehouse News Bureau
Posted on:
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — A saga that began nine months ago to implement Ohio’s new redistricting process is now heading towards a federal court decision that could dash the hopes of advocates fighting against partisan gerrymandering. On August 6, 2021, the seven members of the Ohio Redistricting Commission convened and took the oath… Read More
Ohio Supreme Court deliberating over resubmitted, rejected maps
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — The Ohio Supreme Court is deliberating over maps that have already been reviewed and rejected by justices two months ago. On Thursday, the Ohio Redistricting Commission voted to re-adopt maps they passed at the end of February. With that decision, the commission failed a court order to adopt new… Read More
Failing to adopt new maps, Ohio Redistricting Commission resubmits unconstitutional plan
By: Andy Chow | Statehouse News Bureau
Posted on:
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — The Ohio Redistricting Commission failed to meet a court-ordered deadline to adopt new state legislative district maps Thursday evening and instead opted to resubmit a set of maps already invalidated by the Ohio Supreme Court. Democratic members of the commission made a motion to accept a new draft of… Read More
Ohio Redistricting Commission reconvenes with looming court-ordered deadline
By: Andy Chow | Statehouse News Bureau
Posted on:
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — Republican and Democratic members of the Ohio Redistricting Commission disagreed over how to go about drawing a new set of House and Senate district maps. The commission has until May 6 to adopt new maps, a deadline ordered by the Ohio Supreme Court in their latest ruling. Sen. Vernon… Read More
Faber joins Democrats calling for Ohio Redistricting Commission to reconvene
By: Andy Chow | Statehouse News Bureau
Posted on:
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — Auditor Keith Faber, a Republican, is joining the Democratic members of the Ohio Redistricting Commission in calling for the commission to reconvene as soon as possible. Faber says the commission must meet – either in-person or virtually – in order to meet the May 6 deadline set by the… Read More
Democrats fail to hold Ohio redistricting meeting without Republican support
By: Andy Chow | Statehouse News Bureau
Posted on:
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — Democratic members of the Ohio Redistricting Commission attempted to hold a meeting in the Ohio Statehouse but failed to gain the required support of at least one Republican commissioner. House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) and Sen. Vernon Sykes (D-Akron) have been calling for the commission to reconvene… Read More
Groups fighting GOP-drawn legislative maps say federal court ruling rewards gerrymandering
By: Andy Chow | Statehouse News Bureau
Posted on:
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — A voting rights advocacy group and a national Democratic organization is criticizing the federal court ruling that would allow Republicans to implement unconstitutional state legislative district maps. A panel of federal judges, by a 2-1 decision, ruled that state officials involved in the redistricting process have until May 28… Read More
Federal court will pick invalidated legislative maps if Ohio officials cannot meet new deadline
By: Andy Chow | Statehouse News Bureau
Posted on:
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — A panel of three federal judges has told the Ohio Redistricting Commission that they will implement new Ohio House and Ohio Senate district maps if state officials cannot reach a new agreement by May 28. Two of the three judges decided that the map they would choose would be… Read More
Federal judges to decide next steps in Ohio US House races
By: Associated Press
Posted on:
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A federal judicial panel says it will decide by Tuesday whether to temporarily block the results of U.S. House races in Ohio that have gone forward under an unresolved congressional map. A three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio announced the timeline Monday. Side parties… Read More
GOP leaders say they should not be held in contempt over 4th set of Ohio legislative maps
By: Associated Press
Posted on:
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio’s two most powerful legislators are telling the Ohio Supreme Court that they should not be held in contempt for leading the charge to push through a fourth set of GOP-drawn legislative maps to meet a court-imposed deadline. In a filing Monday, Senate President Matt Huffman and House Speaker and Ohio… Read More
Uncertainty about primary dates over lack of constitutional maps is hurting poll worker recruitment
By: Karen Kasler | Statehouse News Bureau
Posted on:
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — Ohio is headed toward two primaries this year – the statewide and congressional offices on May 3, and the House and Senate candidates later. The uncertainty is making it hard for local boards of elections to recruit the poll workers they need to run those primaries. Local boards are… Read More
Ohio Republicans abandon independent mapmakers to pass slightly modified GOP maps
By: Susan Tebben | Ohio Capital Journal
Posted on:
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Ohio Capital Journal) — In a 4-3 decision, Republican members of the Ohio Redistricting Commission voted Monday night to pass slightly changed versions of Statehouse district maps previously rejected by the Ohio Supreme Court as unconstitutional. In doing so, they abandoned independent mapmakers they had hired. Commissioners said they did this to fulfill… Read More
Time is ticking for the Ohio Redistricting Commission as it decides whether to pass new legislative
By: Jo Ingles | Statehouse News Bureau
Posted on:
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — Today is the deadline for the Ohio Redistricting Commission to pass a fourth set of legislative maps to satisfy the Ohio Supreme Court. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said he thinks the maps should be passed by midnight tonight. “The court order says we are supposed to approve a map…. Read More
Ohio Redistricting Commission is assembling the new team of mapmakers
By: Andy Chow | Statehouse News Bureau
Posted on:
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — The Ohio Redistricting Commission will include two mediators from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit to help settle disputes as Republican and Democratic mapmakers try to create new district maps for the state House and Senate. The commission voted unanimously to approve the two mediators, Catherine… Read More
Ohio Redistricting Commission goes back to the drawing board after a third court rejection
By: Andy Chow | Statehouse News Bureau
Posted on:
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — The Ohio Redistricting Commission has approved the first stages of a plan to have Republican and Democratic mapmakers work together to draft the commission’s fourth attempt at state legislative district maps. The plan calls for the mapmakers already working for the Republican and Democratic caucuses to create new House and… Read More
Ohio Redistricting Commission prepares to meet in response to supreme court rejection
By: Andy Chow | Statehouse News Bureau
Posted on:
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — The Ohio Redistricting Commission is planning to convene for a rare weekend meeting to take the first steps in response to the supreme court’s latest ruling. The third attempt at drawing House and Senate maps was invalidated by a 4-3 opinion from the court. Justices said the commission must… Read More
LaRose says the May 3 ballot won’t include House, Senate races after Ohio Supreme Court ruling
By: Karen Kasler | Statehouse News Bureau
Posted on:
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — The secretary of state says, barring action from federal court, candidates for state legislative offices cannot be on the May primary ballot after the decision invalidating those district maps. The letter from LaRose to Ohio’s elected officials marked further fallout from Wednesday’s late night decision by the Ohio Supreme… Read More
Ohio Supreme Court rules the latest GOP-drawn state legislative district maps unconstitutional
By: Andy Chow | Statehouse News Bureau
Posted on:
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — The Ohio Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that the latest four-year maps adopted by the Ohio Redistricting Commission do not comply with the state constitution’s anti-gerrymandering requirements, along with the guidance offered by the court in previous orders. The now-invalidated House map creates 54 Republican-favored seats and 45 Democratic-favored seats…. Read More
Ohio coalition emphasizes their fight for ‘fair districts’ as supreme court deliberates
By: Andy Chow | Statehouse News Bureau
Posted on:
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — Equal Districts Ohio, a coalition of community groups, said the supreme court should invalidate the state House and state Senate maps adopted by the Ohio Redistricting Commission because they do not reflect the state’s partisan makeup. The group reiterated their court challenge during an event at the Ohio Statehouse… Read More
Ohio’s new congressional district map faces another court challenge
By: Andy Chow | Statehouse News Bureau
Posted on:
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — A national Democratic group has filed objections over new the new congressional district map, as the state’s top elections official says the May 3 primary could have to be changed. The National Redistricting Action Fund accuses Republicans on the Ohio Redistricting Commission of refusing to follow the directions of… Read More
Ohio’s redistricting commission adopts state congressional district map over objections by Democrats
By: Andy Chow | Statehouse News Bureau
Posted on:
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — After seeing a flurry of proposed maps and changes to those maps, the Ohio Redistricting Commission adopted a Republican-drawn congressional district plan. The commission approved a congressional district map that creates 10 Republican districts, three Democratic districts, and two competitive districts that lean slightly in favor of Democratic candidates…. Read More
Republican mapmakers reveal their latest attempt at congressional district lines
By: Andy Chow | Statehouse News Bureau
Posted on:
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — The Republican-drawn district map is the first attempt by the Ohio Redistricting Commission at passing a congressional district plan after the supreme court struck down the map approved by the legislature. The map creates 10 Republican districts, three Democratic districts, and two districts that are competitive but lean in… Read More
Even though new maps aren’t approved, counties ordered to add legislative offices to primary ballots
By: Karen Kasler | Statehouse News Bureau
Posted on:
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — While the House and Senate maps approved by the Ohio Redistricting Commission last week are still awaiting a review by the state supreme court, Ohio’s elections officials are being told to prepare for more candidates for the May 3 primary. Secretary of State Frank LaRose said last week without legislative… Read More