(THE CENTER SQUARE) – Ohio Democrats want to be part of discussions developing a third set of state legislative district maps while the Ohio Redistricting Commission finds itself in front of state and federal courts.
Republican members of the commission have asked the Ohio Supreme Court to hold off judgment on contempt of court charges while they continue to work on new maps.
The revelation Republicans continued to work on maps after missing a Feb. 17 deadline came to light Tuesday during a 9-minute commission meeting called to address the state’s congressional maps.
State Auditor Keith Faber said he believed progress had been made, and House Minority Leader Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, later said Democrats have not been involved in any discussions.
“My impression is there are also other members of the commission in the majority who haven’t been involved in those discussions,” Russo told Spectrum News. “So we will see. We’ve certainly opened up the door to make sure that we are available and our staff are available.”
The commission has a meeting scheduled for 4 p.m. Wednesday to hear public testimony relating to a congressional map, which also has been ruled unconstitutional. It has 30 days to develop that new map.
Republican members of the commission filed a motion with the Ohio Supreme Court on Wednesday explaining why the commission rejected the Democrats’ proposed map last week and why it should not be held in contempt of court.
“First, the Court should reserve judgment on any contempt finding for the time being, because despite the Commission’s inability to meet the Feb. 17 deadline (which some members noted was difficult if not impossible to meet as a matter of timing), the Commission is presently continuing its efforts to pass a compliant map. It is meeting today and again tomorrow, and a new plan could be approved in the coming days,” the motion read.
Republicans also argued the Democrats’ proposal was unconstitutional and members were unsure how closely a plan must be to strict proportionality.
The court ruled Feb. 7 the commission’s second attempt that preserved Republican majorities was unconstitutional and ordered the commission to adopt a new plan, saying if the commission would have used its time more wisely and been committed to working together to find a map that met court guidelines, it could have been accomplished.
The commission’s first maps favored the GOP by 62% in the House and nearly 70% in the Senate. The second set of maps showed 58.3% Republican-leaning legislative districts, above the court-ordered 54%.
The commission includes Republicans Gov. Mike DeWine; Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima; House Speaker and Commission Co-Chair Bob Cupp, R-Lima; Faber; and Secretary of State Frank LaRose; and Democrats Russo; and Commission Co-Chair Sen. Vernon Sykes, D-Akron.
